Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.0%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
124th
of 167 countries
All-time high
5.8%
in 1981
All-time low
0.9%
in 2019
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Military expenditure in Malaysia, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Malaysia stood at 1.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 31.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Malaysia peaked at 5.8% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2019.
Malaysia ranks 124th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.7% | — |
| 1961 | 2.2% | -16.6% |
| 1962 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +10.7% |
| 1964 | 3.2% | +30.7% |
| 1965 | 4.0% | +26.8% |
| 1966 | 4.7% | +17.9% |
| 1967 | 4.5% | -4.9% |
| 1968 | 4.5% | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 3.9% | -11.9% |
| 1970 | 5.2% | +31.7% |
| 1971 | 5.4% | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 5.0% | -7.3% |
| 1973 | 3.9% | -22.2% |
| 1974 | 4.2% | +8.0% |
| 1975 | 4.7% | +13.0% |
| 1976 | 4.0% | -15.7% |
| 1977 | 4.9% | +22.0% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -23.6% |
| 1979 | 3.7% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 4.2% | +15.2% |
| 1981 | 5.8% | +36.8% |
| 1982 | 5.4% | -7.2% |
| 1983 | 4.4% | -17.6% |
| 1984 | 3.8% | -15.2% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | -8.0% |
| 1986 | 3.2% | -6.6% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +28.7% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | -41.5% |
| 1989 | 2.6% | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 3.2% | +25.2% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -6.7% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -12.7% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | -13.1% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | -23.0% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | +30.9% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | -22.2% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +27.5% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | +17.8% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | -13.5% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -20.4% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -9.0% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -20.5% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -12.7% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -8.3% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | +8.8% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | +5.8% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 1.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 73% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 1.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.4%, 73% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.4% | 2.2% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.9% | 2.4% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 1.6% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More public sector data for Malaysia
- 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 7.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.1993 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -90.14 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Malaysia?
- Military expenditure in Malaysia was 1.0% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 1981.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2019.
- How does Malaysia rank for military expenditure?
- Malaysia ranks 124th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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