Military expenditure in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Military expenditure was 2.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
2.0%
Change on year
down 14.5%
World rank
66th
of 165 countries
All-time high
12.1%
in 1975
All-time low
1.7%
in 1993
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Military expenditure in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1960–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 2.0% for military expenditure in 2024.
That represents a change of down 14.5% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 12.1% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1993.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 66th of 165 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 in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.3% | — |
| 1961 | 2.3% | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 2.3% | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 2.6% | +12.3% |
| 1964 | 2.9% | +11.3% |
| 1965 | 3.2% | +12.8% |
| 1966 | 3.8% | +17.5% |
| 1967 | 4.5% | +16.7% |
| 1968 | 5.2% | +16.1% |
| 1969 | 6.0% | +15.3% |
| 1970 | 5.9% | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | -48.0% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -25.3% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -18.0% |
| 1974 | 8.8% | +369.3% |
| 1975 | 12.1% | +37.9% |
| 1976 | 11.2% | -6.8% |
| 1977 | 10.2% | -9.4% |
| 1978 | 11.1% | +9.1% |
| 1979 | 5.8% | -47.8% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | -7.8% |
| 1981 | 8.2% | +53.3% |
| 1982 | 7.9% | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 7.1% | -10.2% |
| 1984 | 6.4% | -10.5% |
| 1985 | 6.5% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 6.1% | -6.7% |
| 1987 | 5.9% | -3.1% |
| 1988 | 6.3% | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 4.6% | -27.3% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | -35.4% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -26.3% |
| 1992 | 1.8% | -17.5% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 2.1% | +21.9% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | +11.3% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | -8.5% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +10.6% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | +17.9% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | +9.2% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | -19.9% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +13.6% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | -14.5% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | +12.8% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -18.8% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | +20.8% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | +9.4% |
| 2017 | 2.8% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -17.2% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 2.1% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | +11.4% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | -14.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.5% | 2.3% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.2% | 1.9% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 4.6% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More public sector data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Arms imports 42.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4587 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 100 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 42.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 86.19 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0166 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 6.78 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 7.89 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 12.94 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Military expenditure in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 2.0% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 1975.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1993.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for military expenditure?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 66th out of 165 countries with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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