Military spending as a share of GDP in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.3%
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
107th
of 166 countries
All-time high
5.9%
in 1995
All-time low
0.2%
in 1951
Years of data
75
1951–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Sri Lanka, 1951–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 1.3% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and down 45.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.9% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1951.
That places Sri Lanka 107th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 0.2% | — |
| 1952 | 0.3% | +37.6% |
| 1953 | 0.4% | +32.9% |
| 1954 | 0.7% | +49.6% |
| 1955 | 0.5% | -18.8% |
| 1956 | 0.7% | +24.2% |
| 1957 | 0.9% | +34.7% |
| 1958 | 1.2% | +36.0% |
| 1959 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| 1960 | 1.2% | -3.9% |
| 1961 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| 1963 | 0.9% | -17.1% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | -5.1% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | -6.0% |
| 1969 | 0.8% | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | +13.5% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +48.7% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | -13.0% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | -26.2% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | -9.1% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | -18.0% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | +17.3% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | +3.9% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -8.2% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | -18.1% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -13.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +63.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 3.2% | +242.7% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -14.7% |
| 1987 | 3.4% | +25.8% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | -30.1% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -24.1% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | +29.5% |
| 1991 | 3.1% | +32.4% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +9.3% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 3.7% | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 5.9% | +57.2% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | -5.8% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | -16.1% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 4.0% | -13.2% |
| 2000 | 5.0% | +24.9% |
| 2001 | 4.3% | -14.8% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | -22.0% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -14.2% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -11.9% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | +16.5% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -14.6% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -19.7% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -18.1% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -21.6% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | -3.5% |
| 2025 | 1.3% | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 9 |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 0.5% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 2.3% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP -8.07 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -7.82 Percent per annum (2022)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 9.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2244 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,122 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 11.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2284 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 1,143 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 11.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 68.74 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka was 1.3% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1995.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1951.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Sri Lanka ranks 107th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.