Military spending as a share of GDP in Serbia
Serbia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of GDP in Serbia, 1996–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Serbia is 2.8%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 62.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Serbia peaked at 4.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2015.
That places Serbia 42nd out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Serbia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3.2% | — |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -9.2% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | +15.5% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | +30.3% |
| 2001 | 3.6% | -21.0% |
| 2002 | 3.8% | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -18.2% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | -11.1% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -19.3% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +15.0% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | +18.9% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -20.4% |
| 2023 | 2.2% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | +20.8% |
| 2025 | 2.8% | +3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Serbia
More economy & growth data for Serbia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.7 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1607 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 2,452 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 11.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5861 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 8,945 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 7.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 60.94 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Serbia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Serbia was 2.8% 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 Serbia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Serbia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2015.
- How does Serbia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Serbia ranks 42nd out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Serbia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Serbia 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.