North Korea vs Malawi: Military expenditure (current LCU)
North Korea
216.60 billion current LCU
in 2018
Malawi
282.40 billion current LCU
in 2025
North Korea rank
54th
Malawi rank
51st
Military expenditure (current LCU) over time
- North Korea
- Malawi
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 282.40 billion current LCU against 216.60 billion current LCU in North Korea, a difference of 65.80 billion current LCU.
That makes Malawi's figure about 1.3 times North Korea's.
Across all 31 years both countries report, North Korea has been ahead every year.
North Korea ranks 54th and Malawi ranks 51st of 168 countries.
North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Malawi | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.97 billion current LCU | 52.09 million current LCU | 3.92 billion current LCU | North Korea |
| 1990s | 3.93 billion current LCU | 234.91 million current LCU | 3.69 billion current LCU | North Korea |
| 2000s | 46.24 billion current LCU | 3.44 billion current LCU | 42.80 billion current LCU | North Korea |
| 2010s | 119.46 billion current LCU | 21.55 billion current LCU | 97.91 billion current LCU | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, North Korea or Malawi?
- Malawi, at 282.40 billion current LCU against 216.60 billion current LCU in North Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between North Korea and Malawi?
- 65.80 billion current LCU, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Malawi?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2018.
- How do North Korea and Malawi rank globally for military expenditure?
- North Korea ranks 54th and Malawi ranks 51st of 168 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)