Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Chile
Chile: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Chile, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military expenditure in Chile is 1.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.8% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Chile peaked at 8.9% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2025.
Chile ranks 97th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Chile, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.1% | — |
| 1961 | 3.5% | +13.1% |
| 1962 | 3.0% | -13.7% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | -5.9% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | -8.0% |
| 1965 | 2.9% | +9.5% |
| 1966 | 2.7% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | 2.7% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 2.5% | -6.9% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | -10.5% |
| 1970 | 4.5% | +96.8% |
| 1971 | 6.3% | +40.8% |
| 1972 | 6.6% | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 6.3% | -5.2% |
| 1974 | 7.1% | +13.1% |
| 1975 | 6.7% | -5.2% |
| 1976 | 6.1% | -9.8% |
| 1977 | 6.9% | +13.6% |
| 1978 | 6.7% | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 6.3% | -5.9% |
| 1980 | 6.5% | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 7.0% | +8.3% |
| 1982 | 8.9% | +26.4% |
| 1983 | 7.6% | -14.7% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | -9.3% |
| 1986 | 6.3% | -8.9% |
| 1987 | 5.6% | -10.3% |
| 1988 | 4.1% | -26.6% |
| 1989 | 3.6% | -13.3% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 2.8% | -16.2% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -7.8% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | +6.8% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -7.0% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | -11.9% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +10.8% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -20.2% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +5.5% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -8.8% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 1.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 73% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Chile's 1.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.0%, 1.5× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Chile 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +96.8% | 2.3% | 4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.8% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.4% | 4.5% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 3.6% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 2.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More public sector data for Chile
- 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 14.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.7083 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 55.56 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Chile?
- Military expenditure in Chile 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 Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 8.9% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2025.
- How does Chile rank for military expenditure?
- Chile ranks 97th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Chile 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