Military spending as a share of GDP in Uganda
Uganda: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.0%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
77th
of 166 countries
All-time high
4.1%
in 1972
All-time low
0.1%
in 1962
Years of data
64
1962–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Uganda, 1962–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Uganda recorded 2.0% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 98.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Uganda peaked at 4.1% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1962.
Uganda ranks 77th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 0.1% | — |
| 1963 | 0.4% | +226.0% |
| 1964 | 0.7% | +76.3% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | +74.0% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | +26.9% |
| 1967 | 1.6% | +13.0% |
| 1968 | 1.8% | +10.5% |
| 1969 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 2.0% | +8.1% |
| 1971 | 3.5% | +75.8% |
| 1972 | 4.1% | +17.1% |
| 1973 | 3.5% | -13.9% |
| 1974 | 3.6% | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | -22.1% |
| 1976 | 3.2% | +12.8% |
| 1977 | 2.0% | -36.1% |
| 1978 | 2.0% | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 1.7% | -14.2% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | +31.4% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -14.8% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +12.3% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | +18.4% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | +9.2% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -11.0% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | -4.9% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | +11.0% |
| 1990 | 3.0% | +8.7% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -15.5% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | -33.8% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | +16.4% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | -4.3% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +15.4% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +8.7% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -33.6% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -10.7% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +71.8% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -53.7% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -20.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +10.9% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +49.1% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +43.7% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -21.1% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | +5.1% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.1% | 0.1% | 1.8% | 8 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 1.7% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More economy & growth data for Uganda
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.29 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.99 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1447 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 174.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 532.09 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 641,856 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1323 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 159.65 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 452,615 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 12.23 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Uganda?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Uganda was 2.0% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 1972.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1962.
- How does Uganda rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Uganda ranks 77th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 98.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.