Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Low income
Low income: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.6%
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
30th
of 45 groups
All-time high
8.1%
in 1984
All-time low
1.1%
in 2018
Years of data
58
1964–2025
Military expenditure in Low income, 1964–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Low income recorded 1.6% for military expenditure in 2025.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Low income peaked at 8.1% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2018.
That places Low income 30th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Low income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 2.4% | — |
| 1966 | 2.1% | -13.7% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +34.1% |
| 1969 | 2.8% | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 2.6% | -9.1% |
| 1972 | 3.0% | +16.0% |
| 1973 | 3.2% | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 3.4% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 4.3% | +28.8% |
| 1976 | 4.4% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 3.9% | -10.2% |
| 1978 | 4.0% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.6% | +15.5% |
| 1980 | 7.1% | +52.4% |
| 1981 | 6.4% | -8.8% |
| 1982 | 7.5% | +16.9% |
| 1983 | 7.5% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 8.1% | +7.4% |
| 1985 | 7.3% | -9.0% |
| 1986 | 6.4% | -12.5% |
| 1987 | 4.9% | -23.6% |
| 1988 | 4.8% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 5.3% | +9.5% |
| 1991 | 5.4% | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 5.0% | -7.6% |
| 1993 | 4.8% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 5.2% | +7.3% |
| 1995 | 3.4% | -34.7% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -16.3% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 3.6% | +25.8% |
| 1999 | 4.1% | +14.3% |
| 2000 | 3.4% | -17.6% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -14.8% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | -16.5% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -25.9% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -21.1% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -14.9% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | +7.2% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | +14.3% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 4 |
| 1970s | 3.6% | 2.6% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 4.8% | 8.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 2.8% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.1% | 2.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low income
More public sector data for Low income
- Arms imports 294.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.1887 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 -50.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 141.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 12.46 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0154 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 17.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 9.31 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 19.47 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Low income?
- Military expenditure in Low income was 1.6% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Low income?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 1984.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Low income?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2018.
- How does Low income rank for military expenditure?
- Low income ranks 30th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Low income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Low 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