Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bahrain
Bahrain: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 3.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Bahrain, 1975–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Bahrain stood at 3.1%.
That represents a change of up 5.5% on the previous year and down 33.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Bahrain peaked at 8.5% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1975.
That places Bahrain 34th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1.5% | — |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +14.8% |
| 1977 | 2.1% | +18.6% |
| 1978 | 5.0% | +138.6% |
| 1979 | 5.9% | +18.9% |
| 1980 | 5.7% | -3.3% |
| 1981 | 6.9% | +21.1% |
| 1982 | 8.5% | +23.7% |
| 1983 | 4.8% | -43.9% |
| 1984 | 4.2% | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 4.6% | +9.8% |
| 1986 | 5.8% | +27.2% |
| 1987 | 5.3% | -10.0% |
| 1988 | 5.6% | +6.7% |
| 1989 | 5.6% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 5.3% | -6.4% |
| 1991 | 5.7% | +7.9% |
| 1992 | 5.9% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 5.4% | -8.6% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 5.3% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 5.1% | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 5.3% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 5.5% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -28.0% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 4.6% | +11.2% |
| 2003 | 4.7% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -13.2% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -20.5% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +28.9% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | -9.2% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | +9.6% |
| 2012 | 3.8% | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +7.7% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -13.3% |
| 2022 | 3.4% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | -16.4% |
| 2025 | 3.1% | +5.5% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 3.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.5× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 3.1% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.6%, 87% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bahrain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +138.6% | 2.1% | 5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 1.5% | 5.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 5.7% | 4.2% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 2.8% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.3% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 2.9% | 4.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More public sector data for Bahrain
- Democracy, 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)
- Arms imports 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 533.78 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.018 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 188.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 848.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 871.15 current USD per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Bahrain?
- Military expenditure in Bahrain was 3.1% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 8.5% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1975.
- How does Bahrain rank for military expenditure?
- Bahrain ranks 34th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bahrain 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