Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Arab World
Arab World: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 5.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5.1%
Change on year
up 5.2%
Rank
2nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
11.5%
in 1984
All-time low
4.1%
in 2008
Years of data
57
1963–2025
Military expenditure in Arab World, 1963–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Arab World recorded 5.1% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and down 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Arab World peaked at 11.5% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2008.
Arab World ranks 2nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 57 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Arab World, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 5.1% | — |
| 1964 | 5.8% | +15.5% |
| 1965 | 6.2% | +6.9% |
| 1966 | 6.6% | +5.1% |
| 1967 | 6.7% | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 6.8% | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 7.8% | +15.1% |
| 1970 | 8.0% | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 7.8% | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 7.1% | -7.9% |
| 1973 | 7.6% | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 9.9% | +30.0% |
| 1978 | 9.9% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 9.0% | -8.9% |
| 1980 | 8.0% | -11.2% |
| 1981 | 9.2% | +15.1% |
| 1982 | 11.1% | +21.0% |
| 1983 | 11.0% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 11.5% | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 10.4% | -10.0% |
| 1987 | 8.6% | -17.5% |
| 1988 | 8.1% | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 10.8% | +33.4% |
| 1992 | 8.6% | -20.0% |
| 1993 | 7.9% | -8.8% |
| 1994 | 7.4% | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 6.6% | -10.6% |
| 1996 | 6.0% | -9.0% |
| 1997 | 6.6% | +9.1% |
| 1998 | 7.4% | +13.2% |
| 1999 | 6.4% | -13.7% |
| 2000 | 6.3% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 6.3% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 5.8% | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | -8.5% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 5.2% | +26.4% |
| 2010 | 4.9% | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | +13.7% |
| 2014 | 6.0% | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | +19.2% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | -17.8% |
| 2017 | 6.1% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 5.6% | -8.5% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | -14.1% |
| 2022 | 4.2% | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | +12.2% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 5.1% | +5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.4% | 5.1% | 7.8% | 7 |
| 1970s | 8.5% | 7.1% | 9.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 9.7% | 8.0% | 11.5% | 8 |
| 1990s | 7.5% | 6.0% | 10.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.1% | 4.1% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 4.8% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.2% | 5.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More public sector data for Arab World
- Arms imports 6.62 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 10.23 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0013 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -29.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 5.04 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 276.83 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0364 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 136.37 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 549.21 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Arab World?
- Military expenditure in Arab World was 5.1% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 1984.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 2008.
- How does Arab World rank for military expenditure?
- Arab World ranks 2nd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product