Military expenditure (current LCU) in Iraq
Iraq: Military expenditure (current LCU) was 8.45 trillion current LCU in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
8.45 trillion current LCU
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
13th
of 168 countries
All-time high
11.21 trillion current LCU
in 2015
All-time low
42.40 million current LCU
in 1960
Years of data
44
1960–2025
Military expenditure in Iraq, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Iraq stood at 8.45 trillion current LCU.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Iraq peaked at 11.21 trillion current LCU in 2015 and was at its lowest, 42.40 million current LCU, in 1960.
Iraq ranks 13th of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (current LCU) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 42.40 million current LCU | — |
| 1961 | 44.81 million current LCU | +5.7% |
| 1962 | 48.24 million current LCU | +7.6% |
| 1963 | 58.29 million current LCU | +20.8% |
| 1964 | 66.14 million current LCU | +13.5% |
| 1965 | 80.62 million current LCU | +21.9% |
| 1966 | 83.93 million current LCU | +4.1% |
| 1967 | 83.77 million current LCU | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 104.08 million current LCU | +24.3% |
| 1969 | 134.28 million current LCU | +29.0% |
| 1970 | 143.23 million current LCU | +6.7% |
| 1971 | 150.78 million current LCU | +5.3% |
| 1972 | 153.33 million current LCU | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 199.37 million current LCU | +30.0% |
| 1974 | 422.07 million current LCU | +111.7% |
| 1975 | 469.60 million current LCU | +11.3% |
| 1976 | 520.10 million current LCU | +10.8% |
| 1977 | 592.90 million current LCU | +14.0% |
| 1978 | 586.50 million current LCU | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 700.40 million current LCU | +19.4% |
| 1980 | 879.00 million current LCU | +25.5% |
| 1981 | 1.21 billion current LCU | +37.3% |
| 2004 | 892.00 billion current LCU | +73814.5% |
| 2005 | 1.65 trillion current LCU | +84.9% |
| 2006 | 1.81 trillion current LCU | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 2.50 trillion current LCU | +37.6% |
| 2008 | 3.72 trillion current LCU | +48.9% |
| 2009 | 3.79 trillion current LCU | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 4.39 trillion current LCU | +15.9% |
| 2011 | 5.01 trillion current LCU | +14.0% |
| 2012 | 4.83 trillion current LCU | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 9.07 trillion current LCU | +87.9% |
| 2014 | 8.07 trillion current LCU | -11.0% |
| 2015 | 11.21 trillion current LCU | +38.9% |
| 2016 | 7.06 trillion current LCU | -37.1% |
| 2017 | 8.78 trillion current LCU | +24.4% |
| 2018 | 7.49 trillion current LCU | -14.7% |
| 2019 | 9.06 trillion current LCU | +21.0% |
| 2020 | 6.77 trillion current LCU | -25.3% |
| 2021 | 6.91 trillion current LCU | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 6.85 trillion current LCU | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 7.52 trillion current LCU | +9.7% |
| 2024 | 8.24 trillion current LCU | +9.6% |
| 2025 | 8.45 trillion current LCU | +2.5% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 8.45 trillion current LCU is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 55.44 billion current LCU, 152.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 8.45 trillion current LCU is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 71.37 billion current LCU, 118.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (current LCU) in Iraq changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +73814.5% | 1.21 billion current LCU | 892.00 billion current LCU |
| 1974 | +111.7% | 199.37 million current LCU | 422.07 million current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 74.66 million current LCU | 42.40 million current LCU | 134.28 million current LCU | 10 |
| 1970s | 393.83 million current LCU | 143.23 million current LCU | 700.40 million current LCU | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.04 billion current LCU | 879.00 million current LCU | 1.21 billion current LCU | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.39 trillion current LCU | 892.00 billion current LCU | 3.79 trillion current LCU | 6 |
| 2010s | 7.50 trillion current LCU | 4.39 trillion current LCU | 11.21 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.45 trillion current LCU | 6.77 trillion current LCU | 8.45 trillion current LCU | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More public sector data for Iraq
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 55.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4995 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -20.69 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Iraq?
- Military expenditure in Iraq was 8.45 trillion current LCU in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 11.21 trillion current LCU in 2015.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.40 million current LCU in 1960.
- How does Iraq rank for military expenditure?
- Iraq ranks 13th out of 168 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)