Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Liberia
Liberia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Liberia, 1965–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 0.9% for military expenditure in 2025.
The figure is up 20.5% on the previous year and up 78.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Liberia peaked at 29.7% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2008.
That places Liberia 136th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Liberia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1.2% | — |
| 1966 | 1.1% | -2.7% |
| 1967 | 1.2% | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | -5.7% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | -9.8% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | +10.6% |
| 1971 | 1.2% | +7.9% |
| 1972 | 1.1% | -7.2% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | -11.9% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | -3.6% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +12.6% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +7.4% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 1.5% | +29.2% |
| 1981 | 3.1% | +108.7% |
| 1982 | 5.0% | +61.2% |
| 1983 | 4.7% | -6.2% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -37.5% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -21.0% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 7.2% | +198.4% |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +41.1% |
| 1993 | 19.0% | +87.3% |
| 1994 | 29.7% | +56.6% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -98.8% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +139.6% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -58.4% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | -26.7% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +74.8% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | +31.8% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -11.1% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | +99.4% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | +55.1% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +8.4% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | -50.3% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | +20.5% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 0.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.8%, 46% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 0.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 66% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Liberia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +198.4% | 2.4% | 7.2% |
| 2005 | +139.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| 1981 | +108.7% | 1.5% | 3.1% |
| 2004 | -98.8% | 29.7% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | +99.4% | 0.4% | 0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 1.5% | 5.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 16.5% | 7.2% | 29.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
- 133 Guinea-Bissau 0.9% compare
- 134 Mongolia 0.9% compare
- 135 Paraguay 0.9% compare
- 137 Luxembourg 0.9% compare
- 138 Peru 0.8% compare
- 139 Bangladesh 0.8% compare
More public sector data for Liberia
- 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 0 SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 0 SIPRI trend indicator values (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Liberia?
- Military expenditure in Liberia was 0.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 1994.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2008.
- How does Liberia rank for military expenditure?
- Liberia ranks 136th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Liberia 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