Military spending as a share of GDP in Liberia
Liberia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.9%
Change on year
up 20.5%
World rank
135th
of 166 countries
All-time high
29.7%
in 1994
All-time low
0.2%
in 2008
Years of data
50
1965–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Liberia, 1965–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military spending as a share of gdp in Liberia stood at 0.9%.
The figure is up 20.5% on the previous year and up 78.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Liberia peaked at 29.7% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2008.
That places Liberia 135th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Liberia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1.2% | — |
| 1966 | 1.1% | -2.7% |
| 1967 | 1.2% | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | -5.7% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | -9.8% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | +10.6% |
| 1971 | 1.2% | +7.9% |
| 1972 | 1.1% | -7.2% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | -11.9% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | -3.6% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +12.6% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +7.4% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 1.5% | +29.2% |
| 1981 | 3.1% | +108.7% |
| 1982 | 5.0% | +61.2% |
| 1983 | 4.7% | -6.2% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -37.5% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -21.0% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 7.2% | +198.4% |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +41.1% |
| 1993 | 19.0% | +87.3% |
| 1994 | 29.7% | +56.6% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -98.8% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +139.6% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -58.4% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | -26.7% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +74.8% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | +31.8% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -11.1% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | +99.4% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | +55.1% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +8.4% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | -50.3% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | +20.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 1.5% | 5.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 16.5% | 7.2% | 29.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
- 132 Guinea-Bissau 0.9% compare
- 133 Mongolia 0.9% compare
- 134 Paraguay 0.9% compare
- 136 Luxembourg 0.9% compare
- 137 Peru 0.8% compare
- 138 Bangladesh 0.8% compare
More economy & growth data for Liberia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.97 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.15 Percent per annum (2029)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 5.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 0.3265 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 298.89 current LCU per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.2899 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 265.33 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant LCU) 2.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant LCU), per 0.292 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Liberia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Liberia was 0.9% 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 1994.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2008.
- How does Liberia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Liberia ranks 135th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Liberia 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
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.