Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Cameroon
Cameroon: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.1%
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
120th
of 167 countries
All-time high
2.0%
in 1982
All-time low
0.9%
in 2023
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Military expenditure in Cameroon, 1970–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Cameroon stood at 1.1%.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Cameroon peaked at 2.0% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2023.
Cameroon ranks 120th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.9% | — |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 1.8% | -4.3% |
| 1973 | 1.8% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | -3.9% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 1.7% | -3.0% |
| 1979 | 1.7% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 1.6% | -6.0% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +16.9% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +9.4% |
| 1983 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 1984 | 1.7% | -8.0% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | -23.0% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | -9.1% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | +10.6% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -13.5% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | +7.3% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -8.2% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -18.4% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -11.8% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | +8.3% |
| 2025 | 1.1% | +5.4% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 1.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 73% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 1.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 82% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More public sector data for Cameroon
- 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 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.0705 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Cameroon?
- Military expenditure in Cameroon was 1.1% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2023.
- How does Cameroon rank for military expenditure?
- Cameroon ranks 120th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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