Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Bangladesh, 1973–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 0.8% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of down 5.9% on the previous year and down 44.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Bangladesh peaked at 1.6% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1974.
Bangladesh ranks 139th of 167 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 0.7% | — |
| 1974 | 0.6% | -8.0% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +39.8% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | +80.4% |
| 1977 | 1.6% | +3.0% |
| 1978 | 1.3% | -19.2% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | -33.4% |
| 1980 | 0.7% | -12.5% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | +13.4% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | +16.2% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | +23.8% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | -9.5% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | -11.4% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 1.1% | +7.4% |
| 1989 | 1.2% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | -6.4% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | +10.3% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +9.3% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | +9.7% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | +15.1% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -14.9% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -14.8% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -13.4% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | -5.9% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 0.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 56% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bangladesh 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +80.4% | 0.8% | 1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 7 |
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 136 Liberia 0.9% compare
- 137 Luxembourg 0.9% compare
- 138 Peru 0.8% compare
- 140 Dominican Republic 0.8% compare
- 141 Cote d'Ivoire 0.8% compare
- 142 Switzerland 0.8% compare
More public sector data for Bangladesh
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2024)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2024)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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 -100 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports 32.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4321 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 8.7 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Bangladesh?
- Military expenditure in Bangladesh was 0.8% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 1977.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1974.
- How does Bangladesh rank for military expenditure?
- Bangladesh ranks 139th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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