Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Colombia
Colombia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 3.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.2%
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
29th
of 167 countries
All-time high
4.4%
in 1996
All-time low
1.4%
in 1977
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Military expenditure in Colombia, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Colombia stood at 3.2%.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Colombia peaked at 4.4% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1977.
Colombia ranks 29th of 167 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Colombia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.9% | — |
| 1961 | 2.1% | +13.7% |
| 1962 | 3.1% | +44.6% |
| 1963 | 3.5% | +13.4% |
| 1964 | 3.2% | -9.5% |
| 1965 | 3.2% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 3.2% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 3.1% | -1.5% |
| 1968 | 2.4% | -23.5% |
| 1969 | 2.1% | -13.9% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | +10.0% |
| 1971 | 3.4% | +49.3% |
| 1972 | 2.0% | -41.7% |
| 1973 | 1.7% | -14.1% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | -6.8% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +10.4% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | -14.2% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 1.7% | +8.0% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | +9.3% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +29.5% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | -11.7% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | +10.9% |
| 1989 | 2.2% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | -15.0% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | +13.7% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | +19.9% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | +12.9% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | +57.0% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -37.0% |
| 1998 | 3.4% | +22.8% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | +9.4% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | -19.4% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | +9.6% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 3.5% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 3.7% | +13.7% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | -6.4% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | -15.4% |
| 2012 | 3.2% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | +12.4% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -9.6% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | -12.5% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +12.6% |
| 2025 | 3.2% | -3.4% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 3.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 3.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.0%, 3.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.8% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.4% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 1.9% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More public sector data for Colombia
- 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 22.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3593 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 533.33 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Colombia?
- Military expenditure in Colombia was 3.2% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 1996.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1977.
- How does Colombia rank for military expenditure?
- Colombia ranks 29th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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