Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 5.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 5.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 11.5% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2022.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 4th 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, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.2% | — |
| 1961 | 4.7% | +10.9% |
| 1962 | 5.2% | +10.4% |
| 1963 | 5.2% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 5.6% | +8.2% |
| 1965 | 6.1% | +8.9% |
| 1966 | 6.6% | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 7.2% | +8.5% |
| 1968 | 7.6% | +5.2% |
| 1969 | 8.5% | +13.2% |
| 1970 | 9.3% | +8.4% |
| 1971 | 8.3% | -10.5% |
| 1972 | 7.7% | -7.6% |
| 1973 | 8.4% | +10.0% |
| 1974 | 9.7% | +15.1% |
| 1975 | 11.5% | +17.9% |
| 1977 | 10.7% | -6.5% |
| 1978 | 10.8% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 8.8% | -18.4% |
| 1980 | 8.0% | -9.1% |
| 1981 | 9.5% | +18.4% |
| 1982 | 10.7% | +11.9% |
| 1983 | 10.0% | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 10.1% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 9.3% | -7.5% |
| 1986 | 6.7% | -28.3% |
| 1987 | 8.6% | +28.4% |
| 1988 | 8.4% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 7.3% | -13.2% |
| 1990 | 8.4% | +15.2% |
| 1991 | 9.5% | +12.4% |
| 1992 | 7.4% | -21.6% |
| 1993 | 7.6% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 7.1% | -6.2% |
| 1995 | 6.1% | -14.2% |
| 1996 | 5.6% | -7.5% |
| 1997 | 6.1% | +8.0% |
| 1998 | 6.6% | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | -11.9% |
| 2000 | 5.7% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 5.6% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -6.0% |
| 2003 | 5.0% | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 4.7% | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | +18.7% |
| 2010 | 4.5% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 4.4% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 4.9% | +11.1% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 5.9% | +13.4% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | -14.9% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | -11.5% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 4.4% | +11.1% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +9.5% |
| 2025 | 5.0% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.1% | 4.2% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.5% | 7.7% | 11.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 8.9% | 6.7% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.0% | 5.6% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.0% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 3.9% | 5.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More public sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Arms imports 7.81 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 7.55 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0012 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -41.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 6.14 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 246.67 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0393 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 15.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 200.58 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 831.08 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Military expenditure in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 5.0% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 1975.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2022.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for military expenditure?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 4th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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