Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Least developed countries, 1973–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 1.2% for military expenditure in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.3% on the previous year and down 32.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Least developed countries peaked at 4.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2025.
That places Least developed countries 37th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1.6% | — |
| 1974 | 1.7% | +5.9% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 2.2% | +21.5% |
| 1977 | 2.3% | +3.9% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | +21.7% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | -6.2% |
| 1981 | 2.6% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 3.2% | +17.6% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | -13.0% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | +7.5% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +38.2% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 4.4% | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 4.5% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | -19.4% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -17.4% |
| 1993 | 3.6% | +20.6% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -31.8% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | -16.8% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | +9.3% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | +29.7% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -19.4% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +7.8% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | -15.0% |
| 2011 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | -16.1% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | -16.8% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +9.5% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | +10.2% |
| 2025 | 1.2% | -18.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.7% | 7 |
| 1980s | 3.3% | 2.6% | 4.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 1.9% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More public sector data for Least developed countries
- Arms imports 504.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.645 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -26.74 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 748.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 19.79 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0152 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 19.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 23.48 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 36.74 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Least developed countries?
- Military expenditure in Least developed countries was 1.2% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 4.5% in 1990.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2025.
- How does Least developed countries rank for military expenditure?
- Least developed countries ranks 37th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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