Military expenditure (% of GDP) in India
India: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 2.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in India, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in India stood at 2.3%.
The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in India peaked at 4.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1960.
That places India 55th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in India, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.0% | — |
| 1961 | 2.1% | +3.5% |
| 1962 | 2.7% | +32.3% |
| 1963 | 4.0% | +46.6% |
| 1964 | 3.8% | -5.1% |
| 1965 | 3.9% | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 3.6% | -7.7% |
| 1967 | 3.2% | -9.8% |
| 1968 | 3.2% | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 3.2% | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 3.7% | +14.7% |
| 1972 | 3.7% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 3.2% | -15.0% |
| 1974 | 3.2% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 3.5% | +10.4% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 3.2% | -9.1% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 3.3% | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 3.6% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | +15.1% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | -11.9% |
| 1989 | 3.5% | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | -7.5% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +18.9% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -6.4% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 2.5% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 2.5% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 2.5% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -11.9% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | -5.7% |
| 2025 | 2.3% | +3.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 2.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in India 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +46.6% | 2.7% | 4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.2% | 2.0% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More public sector data for India
- 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 2.86 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.805 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 -21.66 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in India?
- Military expenditure in India was 2.3% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1960.
- How does India rank for military expenditure?
- India ranks 55th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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