Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Ireland
Ireland: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.2%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
161st
of 167 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 1980
All-time low
0.2%
in 2022
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Military expenditure in Ireland, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Ireland stood at 0.2%.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 33.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Ireland peaked at 1.7% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2022.
Ireland ranks 161st of 167 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.3% | — |
| 1961 | 1.3% | -0.8% |
| 1962 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | -3.7% |
| 1964 | 1.3% | +4.9% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 1.2% | -7.0% |
| 1967 | 1.2% | -3.8% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | -4.6% |
| 1969 | 1.1% | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 1.2% | +5.4% |
| 1971 | 1.2% | +7.4% |
| 1972 | 1.3% | +6.8% |
| 1973 | 1.3% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | +7.2% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | +15.6% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -5.6% |
| 1978 | 1.5% | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 1.6% | +6.7% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 1.6% | -5.1% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 1.5% | -6.2% |
| 1984 | 1.4% | -5.4% |
| 1985 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | -9.9% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | -6.5% |
| 1989 | 1.1% | -7.8% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +8.9% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -8.4% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -6.8% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -10.9% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -8.9% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -7.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -9.8% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +13.4% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -26.3% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -9.7% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 0.2% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 0.2% | +0.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 11% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.0%, 11% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 158 Kazakhstan 0.4% compare
- 159 Sierra Leone 0.4% compare
- 160 Papua New Guinea 0.4% compare
- 162 Laos 0.2% compare
- 163 Mauritius 0.1% compare
- 164 Haiti 0.1% compare
More public sector data for Ireland
- 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 14.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 11.86 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 -74.29 % change on previous year (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Ireland?
- Military expenditure in Ireland was 0.2% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1980.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for military expenditure?
- Ireland ranks 161st out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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