Military spending as a share of GDP in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military spending as a share of GDP in Nicaragua, 1968–2025
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 Nicaragua stood at 0.6%.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Nicaragua peaked at 4.3% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2008.
That places Nicaragua 149th 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 Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1.5% | — |
| 1969 | 1.4% | -5.7% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | +15.0% |
| 1971 | 1.5% | -5.0% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +24.0% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -23.9% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +20.1% |
| 1976 | 2.1% | +18.4% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | +19.3% |
| 1978 | 3.2% | +30.7% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 3.3% | +7.8% |
| 1981 | 4.3% | +29.6% |
| 1991 | 4.0% | -7.7% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -34.2% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -20.1% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -43.4% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -7.3% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -13.9% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -17.8% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +8.8% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -12.7% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +26.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -15.1% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -21.3% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +26.5% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +13.2% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -17.5% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | -12.7% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 0.6% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.4% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 0.7% | 4.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More economy & growth data for Nicaragua
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.29 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 2,181 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 9.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.13 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 3,594 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 9.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 41.48 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 131,635 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 8.03 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Nicaragua?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Nicaragua was 0.6% 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1981.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
- How does Nicaragua rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Nicaragua ranks 149th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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 — 49 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.