Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Cambodia
Cambodia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Cambodia, 1986–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military expenditure in Cambodia is 1.5%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 4.7% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Cambodia peaked at 3.8% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2008.
Cambodia ranks 101st of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 1.1% | — |
| 1987 | 1.6% | +37.3% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | -18.8% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | +55.9% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | +12.4% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +35.1% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | -44.0% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +118.2% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | -6.9% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -9.5% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | -7.3% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | -11.4% |
| 1999 | 2.5% | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | -12.9% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -22.0% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | -15.2% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | -7.6% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -11.9% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -14.6% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -9.5% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -14.1% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -13.0% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +61.0% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +11.3% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +9.8% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -4.7% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 1.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 100% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 1.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.4%, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Cambodia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +118.2% | 1.8% | 3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 2.0% | 4 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 1.8% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 0.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More public sector data for Cambodia
- 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 56.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.1 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0013 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 68.75 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Cambodia?
- Military expenditure in Cambodia was 1.5% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1994.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2008.
- How does Cambodia rank for military expenditure?
- Cambodia ranks 101st out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cambodia 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