South Sudan vs Upper middle income: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
South Sudan
3.4%
in 2025
Upper middle income
1.9%
in 2025
South Sudan rank
23rd
Upper middle income rank
25th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- South Sudan
- Upper middle income
How they compare
South Sudan currently reports 3.4% against 1.9% in Upper middle income, a difference of 1.5%.
That makes South Sudan's figure about 1.8 times Upper middle income's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 18 shared years of data; in 2008 it was South Sudan ahead.
South Sudan ranks 23rd and Upper middle income ranks 25th of 167 countries.
South Sudan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Sudan | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.4% | 1.7% | 3.7% | South Sudan |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 1.6% | 4.4% | South Sudan |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 1.7% | 1.2% | South Sudan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, South Sudan or Upper middle income?
- South Sudan, at 3.4% against 1.9% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between South Sudan and Upper middle income?
- 1.5%, with South Sudan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Sudan and Upper middle income?
- 18 years are reported by both, from 2008 to 2025.
- How do South Sudan and Upper middle income rank globally for military expenditure?
- South Sudan ranks 23rd and Upper middle income ranks 25th of 167 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product