Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 3.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) is 3.2%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.8% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 9.1% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2022.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 5th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.6% | — |
| 1961 | 3.9% | +8.0% |
| 1962 | 4.6% | +18.2% |
| 1963 | 4.4% | -4.1% |
| 1964 | 5.0% | +15.2% |
| 1965 | 5.6% | +10.9% |
| 1966 | 5.8% | +3.5% |
| 1967 | 5.7% | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 6.1% | +8.3% |
| 1969 | 7.0% | +13.1% |
| 1970 | 7.5% | +8.5% |
| 1971 | 6.9% | -8.9% |
| 1972 | 5.8% | -15.2% |
| 1973 | 5.4% | -7.2% |
| 1974 | 7.8% | +44.8% |
| 1975 | 9.1% | +16.7% |
| 1976 | 8.8% | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 8.1% | -8.0% |
| 1978 | 8.0% | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | -31.6% |
| 1980 | 5.2% | -5.4% |
| 1981 | 6.7% | +28.8% |
| 1982 | 6.4% | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 6.3% | -4.7% |
| 1985 | 6.3% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 5.8% | -7.9% |
| 1987 | 5.3% | -8.3% |
| 1988 | 5.1% | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 4.3% | -16.1% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | -15.1% |
| 1992 | 3.7% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | +8.5% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 3.7% | -11.2% |
| 1996 | 3.6% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 3.6% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 3.6% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.3% | -7.8% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +11.7% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | -6.6% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -7.8% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | +22.4% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 3.2% | +9.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.2% | 3.6% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.3% | 5.4% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.8% | 4.3% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.4% | 3.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
More public sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Arms imports 1.97 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.87 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0006 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -69.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.39 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 78.83 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0266 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 58.47 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 453.17 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 3.2% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 9.1% in 1975.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2022.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for military expenditure?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 5th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product