Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Guatemala
Guatemala: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.5%
Change on year
up 30.6%
World rank
154th
of 167 countries
All-time high
2.2%
in 1984
All-time low
0.4%
in 2018
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Military expenditure in Guatemala, 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 Guatemala is 0.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 30.6% on the previous year and up 28.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Guatemala peaked at 2.2% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2018.
That places Guatemala 154th 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 Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.2% | — |
| 1961 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 1962 | 1.0% | -6.9% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | +12.2% |
| 1964 | 1.0% | -14.4% |
| 1965 | 1.4% | +39.0% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 1.5% | +6.1% |
| 1968 | 1.3% | -13.1% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | -19.0% |
| 1970 | 1.7% | +65.3% |
| 1971 | 1.1% | -34.1% |
| 1972 | 1.1% | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | -20.2% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 1.2% | +37.1% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | +7.9% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | -13.9% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | +10.6% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | +43.5% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +7.2% |
| 1983 | 2.0% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 2.0% | -8.4% |
| 1986 | 1.7% | -16.9% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | +6.8% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | -26.6% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +16.1% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -14.0% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -7.0% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -8.3% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -17.1% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -17.1% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | +35.9% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +14.6% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | -27.5% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | +7.0% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -41.2% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -19.9% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -7.7% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | +17.5% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -15.6% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +11.7% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -9.9% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +8.5% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -12.9% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +15.5% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -11.4% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | +18.1% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -9.2% |
| 2024 | 0.4% | -4.5% |
| 2025 | 0.5% | +30.6% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 0.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 37% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 0.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.0%, 53% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.3% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More public sector data for Guatemala
- 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 6.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.331 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -40 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Guatemala?
- Military expenditure in Guatemala 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1984.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2018.
- How does Guatemala rank for military expenditure?
- Guatemala ranks 154th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guatemala 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