Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Ethiopia, 1961–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Ethiopia stood at 0.5%.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Ethiopia peaked at 10.3% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2021.
That places Ethiopia 155th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.9% | — |
| 1962 | 1.9% | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +25.7% |
| 1964 | 2.9% | +20.3% |
| 1965 | 3.2% | +10.6% |
| 1966 | 3.1% | -3.8% |
| 1967 | 2.5% | -20.0% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | -11.7% |
| 1969 | 2.0% | -8.0% |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -6.8% |
| 1971 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 2.8% | +45.1% |
| 1975 | 4.5% | +60.7% |
| 1976 | 4.1% | -8.0% |
| 1977 | 4.0% | -4.0% |
| 1978 | 4.8% | +21.2% |
| 1979 | 6.9% | +43.1% |
| 1980 | 8.7% | +26.5% |
| 1981 | 7.5% | -13.5% |
| 1982 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 7.2% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 8.0% | +11.0% |
| 1985 | 6.8% | -14.4% |
| 1986 | 6.7% | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 6.9% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 8.5% | +24.0% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | +20.9% |
| 1990 | 9.7% | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 5.7% | -40.9% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | -39.7% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -22.4% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | -4.9% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +57.9% |
| 1998 | 7.3% | +117.7% |
| 1999 | 9.5% | +30.6% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | -19.1% |
| 2001 | 4.4% | -42.9% |
| 2002 | 3.8% | -14.5% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -12.3% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -18.0% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -17.2% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -20.1% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -21.0% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -17.8% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -16.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +94.1% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | -10.8% |
| 2024 | 0.5% | -35.9% |
| 2025 | 0.5% | +0.3% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 0.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.8%, 27% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 0.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 38% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Ethiopia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +117.7% | 3.3% | 7.3% |
| 2022 | +94.1% | 0.4% | 0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 1.9% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 1.9% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.8% | 6.7% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 2.1% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 1.2% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More public sector data for Ethiopia
- 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 63.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3635 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -95.56 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Ethiopia?
- Military expenditure in Ethiopia was 0.5% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1989.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2021.
- How does Ethiopia rank for military expenditure?
- Ethiopia ranks 155th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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