Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1964–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 1.4% for military expenditure in 2025.
The figure is up 13.1% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 5.2% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1979.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 104th 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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 0.0% | — |
| 1966 | 0.0% | +10.1% |
| 1968 | 0.0% | -2.2% |
| 1969 | 0.0% | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 0.0% | +32.2% |
| 1971 | 0.0% | -11.9% |
| 1972 | 0.0% | -17.1% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -13.3% |
| 1974 | 0.0% | +50.9% |
| 1975 | 0.0% | -14.0% |
| 1976 | 0.0% | -25.9% |
| 1977 | 0.0% | +4.0% |
| 1978 | 0.0% | -6.3% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | -9.2% |
| 1993 | 5.2% | +17578583.9% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | -70.4% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | -8.8% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -69.6% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | +170.3% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -81.0% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +299.8% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | +51.8% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | -16.5% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -37.0% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +26.0% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +10.2% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | +22.4% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -17.1% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +37.5% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -16.2% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -27.7% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -17.4% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +13.3% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | -26.9% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | +6.5% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +97.1% |
| 2024 | 1.2% | +8.7% |
| 2025 | 1.4% | +13.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 1.4% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.8%, 74% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 1.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +17578583.9% | 0.0% | 5.2% |
| 2003 | +299.8% | 0.2% | 0.9% |
| 1999 | +170.3% | 0.4% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.0% | 0.4% | 5.2% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More public sector data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- 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 44.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3203 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 29.63 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo was 1.4% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 1993.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1979.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for military expenditure?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 104th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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