Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.4%
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
105th
of 167 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 2020
All-time low
0.5%
in 2000
Years of data
47
1976–2025
Military expenditure in Jamaica, 1976–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Jamaica stood at 1.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 56.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Jamaica peaked at 1.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2000.
That places Jamaica 105th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 0.9% | — |
| 1977 | 0.9% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.5% | +60.2% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +7.9% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | -14.9% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | -23.5% |
| 1985 | 0.9% | -15.9% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | -9.8% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | +15.0% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -9.5% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -9.8% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +46.1% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -25.8% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -23.4% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | -14.5% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +15.4% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -16.8% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +16.1% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | +15.4% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | +7.1% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +46.1% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +36.9% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +26.2% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -14.0% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -12.1% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 1.4% | +16.8% |
| 2025 | 1.4% | -1.3% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 1.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 1.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.0%, 1.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More public sector data for Jamaica
- 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 10.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.52 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Jamaica?
- Military expenditure in Jamaica was 1.4% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2000.
- How does Jamaica rank for military expenditure?
- Jamaica ranks 105th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica 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