Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC): Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), 1968–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military expenditure in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) is 1.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) peaked at 3.3% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2012.
That places Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 35th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 57 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1.5% | — |
| 1969 | 1.6% | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 1.7% | +7.0% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | +4.8% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 1.8% | -4.5% |
| 1974 | 2.0% | +12.3% |
| 1975 | 2.2% | +9.8% |
| 1976 | 2.2% | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | +23.5% |
| 1979 | 2.8% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 2.7% | -3.6% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | +6.3% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | +13.7% |
| 1985 | 3.1% | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -14.0% |
| 1988 | 2.9% | +6.2% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | +12.1% |
| 1991 | 3.1% | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -32.9% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +9.1% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -16.9% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | -15.9% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -9.9% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | +46.2% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -15.2% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | -6.8% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -13.5% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | +16.2% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -13.8% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | +11.3% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -25.8% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -7.8% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -11.0% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | +9.3% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 1.3% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
More public sector data for Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
- Arms imports 337.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4116 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 -31.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 387.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 14.3 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0117 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 13.44 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 28.9 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- Military expenditure in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) was 1.3% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1990.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2012.
- How does Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) rank for military expenditure?
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) ranks 35th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 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