Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Myanmar
Myanmar: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 6.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Myanmar, 1961–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, military expenditure in Myanmar stood at 6.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 77.0% on the previous year and up 84.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Myanmar peaked at 6.8% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2002.
That places Myanmar 6th out of 167 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 58 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.1% | — |
| 1962 | 5.7% | -7.1% |
| 1963 | 6.8% | +20.3% |
| 1964 | 6.0% | -12.0% |
| 1965 | 6.7% | +11.2% |
| 1966 | 6.1% | -8.5% |
| 1967 | 5.2% | -15.1% |
| 1968 | 5.0% | -3.4% |
| 1969 | 5.3% | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 5.6% | +5.5% |
| 1971 | 5.7% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 5.5% | -3.5% |
| 1973 | 5.1% | -6.2% |
| 1974 | 4.0% | -21.4% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | -6.1% |
| 1976 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 4.0% | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 3.9% | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 3.6% | -9.3% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | -3.8% |
| 1981 | 3.5% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | -6.9% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | -4.6% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -4.8% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | -31.5% |
| 1988 | 2.1% | +8.5% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | +38.2% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | +14.8% |
| 1991 | 3.2% | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 3.5% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 3.7% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 3.5% | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -33.8% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | -15.8% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | +7.9% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | -15.6% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | -23.9% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | +39.7% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -13.0% |
| 2012 | 3.9% | +147.0% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | +14.0% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -11.7% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | -35.1% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | +60.2% |
| 2021 | 4.4% | +34.4% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | -13.3% |
| 2023 | 3.7% | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 6.6% | +77.0% |
Myanmar compared with similar countries
- Myanmar's 6.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 4.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Myanmar's 6.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.4%, 4.7× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Myanmar changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +147.0% | 1.6% | 3.9% |
| 2024 | +77.0% | 3.7% | 6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.9% | 5.0% | 6.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.5% | 3.6% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 2.0% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 2.0% | 4.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.4% | 3.3% | 6.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
More public sector data for Myanmar
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2021)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2021)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2021)
- 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 -100 % change on previous year (2021)
- Arms imports 70.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 4.07 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 73.44 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Myanmar?
- Military expenditure in Myanmar was 6.6% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 1963.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2002.
- How does Myanmar rank for military expenditure?
- Myanmar ranks 6th out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Myanmar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 84.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Myanmar 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