Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.9%
Change on year
up 4.5%
Rank
24th
of 45 groups
All-time high
4.0%
in 1976
All-time low
1.6%
in 2021
Years of data
65
1961–2025
Military expenditure in Low & middle income, 1961–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Low & middle income recorded 1.9% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of up 4.5% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Low & middle income peaked at 4.0% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2021.
That places Low & middle income 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.1% | — |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +22.0% |
| 1963 | 2.8% | +7.6% |
| 1964 | 2.7% | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 3.0% | +8.4% |
| 1966 | 2.8% | -6.4% |
| 1967 | 2.9% | +5.8% |
| 1968 | 3.0% | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 3.2% | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 3.2% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 3.0% | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 2.8% | -8.7% |
| 1974 | 3.2% | +14.5% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | +20.8% |
| 1976 | 4.0% | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 3.9% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -3.9% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | -15.8% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | -9.5% |
| 1981 | 3.0% | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 3.1% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 3.0% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | -7.0% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | -8.5% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -8.6% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | -6.0% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -5.5% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +6.3% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -4.7% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +10.7% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | +6.3% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 1.9% | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.8% | 2.1% | 3.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.4% | 2.8% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More public sector data for Low & middle income
- Arms imports 12.76 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.67 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -22.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 11.23 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 102.29 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0174 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 6.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 687.69 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 186.09 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Low & middle income?
- Military expenditure in Low & middle income was 1.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1976.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2021.
- How does Low & middle income rank for military expenditure?
- Low & middle income ranks 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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