Military spending as a share of GDP in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.4%
Change on year
down 43.9%
World rank
158th
of 166 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 2001
All-time low
0.2%
in 1985
Years of data
65
1961–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Sierra Leone, 1961–2025
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 Sierra Leone is 0.4%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 43.9% on the previous year and down 36.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Sierra Leone peaked at 1.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1985.
That places Sierra Leone 158th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.7% | — |
| 1962 | 0.7% | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 0.8% | +6.8% |
| 1964 | 0.8% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 1966 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | +15.1% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 0.9% | +8.4% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | +7.1% |
| 1971 | 0.9% | -3.9% |
| 1972 | 1.0% | +6.0% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | +9.4% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | +16.4% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | -15.1% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +6.0% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -8.1% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +10.8% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -47.0% |
| 1981 | 0.5% | -7.4% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | -20.4% |
| 1983 | 0.4% | -16.7% |
| 1984 | 0.3% | -16.2% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | -25.6% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | +53.6% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | -27.2% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +19.9% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +73.9% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | +56.5% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | +55.9% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | +31.9% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -22.6% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -4.3% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -31.3% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -43.5% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +34.0% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | +69.8% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | +44.3% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +9.2% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | -21.1% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -23.7% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -11.8% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -28.4% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +15.3% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -13.7% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -11.6% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -9.3% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +59.0% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -22.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | +22.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | -31.2% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -19.2% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +29.2% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | +23.5% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | +9.5% |
| 2025 | 0.4% | -43.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 155 Ghana 0.5% compare
- 156 Malta 0.4% compare
- 157 Kazakhstan 0.4% compare
- 159 Papua New Guinea 0.4% compare
- 160 Ireland 0.2% compare
- 161 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.2% compare
More economy & growth data for Sierra Leone
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.55 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 11.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.568 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 480.73 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -30.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -30.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 8.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 6.69 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 5,664 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Sierra Leone?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Sierra Leone was 0.4% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1985.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Sierra Leone ranks 158th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.