Military spending as a share of GDP in Pakistan
Pakistan: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.9%
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
39th
of 166 countries
All-time high
7.0%
in 1986
All-time low
2.7%
in 2024
Years of data
73
1953–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Pakistan, 1953–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 2.9% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
The figure is up 6.7% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Pakistan peaked at 7.0% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2024.
Pakistan ranks 39th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 6.3% | — |
| 1954 | 5.4% | -15.2% |
| 1955 | 5.6% | +4.1% |
| 1956 | 5.0% | -9.8% |
| 1957 | 4.2% | -17.0% |
| 1958 | 4.3% | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 4.3% | +1.9% |
| 1960 | 4.3% | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 4.1% | -5.0% |
| 1962 | 3.7% | -10.8% |
| 1963 | 3.6% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 3.9% | +6.0% |
| 1965 | 5.9% | +52.7% |
| 1966 | 6.7% | +14.0% |
| 1967 | 5.4% | -19.7% |
| 1968 | 5.1% | -5.6% |
| 1969 | 5.5% | +8.0% |
| 1970 | 6.2% | +11.7% |
| 1971 | 6.7% | +9.4% |
| 1972 | 6.9% | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 6.2% | -9.5% |
| 1974 | 6.1% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 6.3% | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | -6.8% |
| 1977 | 5.5% | -5.8% |
| 1978 | 5.5% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 5.5% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 6.4% | +11.6% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 6.7% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 7.0% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 7.0% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 6.8% | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | -3.7% |
| 1990 | 6.5% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 6.7% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 6.4% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 5.9% | -7.8% |
| 1995 | 5.8% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 6.0% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 5.6% | -6.9% |
| 1998 | 5.4% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 4.2% | -19.7% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 4.1% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | +6.0% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -9.0% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | -5.6% |
| 2025 | 2.9% | +6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.0% | 4.2% | 6.3% | 7 |
| 1960s | 4.8% | 3.6% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.1% | 5.5% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 5.5% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.2% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More economy & growth data for Pakistan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 11.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1318 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 210.32 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 9.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1721 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 274.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 8.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 48.08 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Pakistan?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Pakistan was 2.9% 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.0% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2024.
- How does Pakistan rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Pakistan ranks 39th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.