Military spending as a share of GDP in Spain
Spain: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.1%
Change on year
up 45.8%
World rank
64th
of 166 countries
All-time high
3.0%
in 1984
All-time low
1.1%
in 2016
Years of data
72
1954–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Spain, 1954–2025
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 Spain is 2.1%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 45.8% on the previous year and up 69.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Spain peaked at 3.0% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2016.
That places Spain 64th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 72 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Spain, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 2.3% | — |
| 1955 | 2.3% | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 2.3% | -2.2% |
| 1957 | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| 1958 | 1.9% | -13.5% |
| 1959 | 1.9% | -1.4% |
| 1960 | 2.3% | +18.1% |
| 1961 | 2.0% | -9.8% |
| 1962 | 2.3% | +11.6% |
| 1963 | 2.0% | -13.1% |
| 1964 | 1.9% | -2.0% |
| 1965 | 1.9% | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | +10.3% |
| 1967 | 1.9% | -10.9% |
| 1968 | 2.3% | +24.1% |
| 1969 | 2.4% | +5.9% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | -6.1% |
| 1971 | 2.1% | -7.8% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | +10.0% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | -8.9% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | +4.6% |
| 1975 | 2.0% | -9.2% |
| 1976 | 2.3% | +15.8% |
| 1977 | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 2.4% | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 2.5% | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 2.6% | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | +10.4% |
| 1984 | 3.0% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 2.6% | -11.2% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | -4.8% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | -2.8% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -7.2% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -10.7% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | +6.9% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -10.6% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | -10.4% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | +8.3% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +10.7% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | -4.9% |
| 2025 | 2.1% | +45.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 6 |
| 1960s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More economy & growth data for Spain
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.77 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.62 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 3,174 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 11.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.1958 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 7,561 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 0.1732 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 6,692 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.26 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Spain?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Spain was 2.1% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1984.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2016.
- How does Spain rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Spain ranks 64th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.