Military spending as a share of GDP in Italy
Italy: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.9%
Change on year
up 18.8%
World rank
81st
of 166 countries
All-time high
4.0%
in 1952
All-time low
1.2%
in 2015
Years of data
75
1951–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Italy, 1951–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Italy recorded 1.9% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.8% on the previous year and up 60.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Italy peaked at 4.0% in 1952 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2015.
That places Italy 81st out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Italy, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 3.8% | — |
| 1952 | 4.0% | +5.7% |
| 1953 | 3.3% | -16.7% |
| 1954 | 3.5% | +6.1% |
| 1955 | 3.3% | -7.9% |
| 1956 | 3.2% | -2.6% |
| 1957 | 3.1% | -2.5% |
| 1958 | 3.0% | -1.4% |
| 1959 | 3.0% | -2.9% |
| 1960 | 2.7% | -8.1% |
| 1961 | 2.6% | -5.2% |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 2.8% | +4.5% |
| 1964 | 2.7% | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 3.0% | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 2.8% | -7.4% |
| 1968 | 2.6% | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.4% | -8.6% |
| 1970 | 2.1% | -15.0% |
| 1971 | 2.2% | +8.8% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | +6.8% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -8.2% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | -5.7% |
| 1975 | 2.0% | -4.6% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -7.4% |
| 1977 | 1.9% | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -5.9% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +10.1% |
| 1983 | 2.0% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 2.0% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 2.0% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 2.1% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | -7.2% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 1.8% | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -14.8% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +33.2% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | +3.6% |
| 2025 | 1.9% | +18.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.3% | 3.0% | 4.0% | 9 |
| 1960s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More economy & growth data for Italy
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.18 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.8337 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2455 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,630 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -0.5061 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 5.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 0.0183 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 791.64 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Italy?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Italy was 1.9% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1952.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2015.
- How does Italy rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Italy ranks 81st out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.