Military spending as a share of GDP in Somalia
Somalia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military spending as a share of GDP in Somalia, 1961–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 1.5% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.2% on the previous year and up 126.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Somalia peaked at 28.9% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1985.
Somalia ranks 96th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2% | — |
| 1962 | 0.3% | +10.2% |
| 1963 | 0.3% | +14.0% |
| 1964 | 0.3% | +13.9% |
| 1965 | 0.3% | -10.1% |
| 1966 | 0.4% | +19.1% |
| 1967 | 0.4% | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 0.4% | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 0.4% | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 0.5% | +18.2% |
| 1971 | 0.5% | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | -6.1% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | +11.4% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | +43.8% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | -29.0% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -11.0% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | +115.9% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 0.5% | -43.6% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +10.5% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | -52.6% |
| 1983 | 0.2% | -17.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | -40.2% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -64.6% |
| 1986 | 28.9% | +56986.1% |
| 1987 | 17.0% | -41.4% |
| 1988 | 17.4% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | -91.2% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -71.0% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +110.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -27.1% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | +16.1% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +29.8% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -14.8% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +37.3% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | +8.9% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | +31.1% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -7.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 0.1% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More economy & growth data for Somalia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 8.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2163 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 142.98 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9881 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 653.34 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 15.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 29,747 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Somalia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Somalia was 1.5% 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1985.
- How does Somalia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Somalia ranks 96th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 126.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Somalia 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.