Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Nepal
Nepal: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.0%
Change on year
down 5.8%
World rank
127th
of 167 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 2005
All-time low
0.6%
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Military expenditure in Nepal, 1970–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 1.0% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Nepal peaked at 1.7% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1970.
Nepal ranks 127th of 167 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.6% | — |
| 1971 | 0.6% | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 0.6% | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | -7.7% |
| 1975 | 0.7% | +12.3% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | +25.5% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | -3.8% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +6.1% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | +13.3% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | +9.8% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | +15.0% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | -23.8% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +22.5% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | +31.8% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +10.0% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | +12.6% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | +7.6% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -9.3% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -11.5% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -7.9% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +7.8% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +7.1% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -8.8% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -5.8% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 1.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 66% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More public sector data for Nepal
- 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 6.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2021)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 428.57 % change on previous year (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Nepal?
- Military expenditure in Nepal 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2005.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1970.
- How does Nepal rank for military expenditure?
- Nepal ranks 127th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 56 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