Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Latvia
Latvia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 3.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Latvia, 1993–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Latvia stood at 3.6%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.4% on the previous year and up 236.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Latvia peaked at 3.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1997.
That places Latvia 20th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Latvia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 0.7% | — |
| 1994 | 0.8% | +14.1% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | -20.9% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | -9.1% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | +27.7% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | +16.8% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +17.7% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | +49.9% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | -16.9% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -21.9% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -14.8% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | +9.8% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | +39.9% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | +10.1% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +29.2% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | +30.1% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +12.4% |
| 2025 | 3.6% | +9.4% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 3.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 3.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.0%, 1.8× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 7 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 0.9% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.9% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More public sector data for Latvia
- 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 19.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 5.36 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -76.19 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Latvia?
- Military expenditure in Latvia was 3.6% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1997.
- How does Latvia rank for military expenditure?
- Latvia ranks 20th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 236.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latvia 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