Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.6%
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
150th
of 167 countries
All-time high
4.3%
in 1981
All-time low
0.5%
in 2008
Years of data
49
1968–2025
Military expenditure in Nicaragua, 1968–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Nicaragua stood at 0.6%.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Nicaragua peaked at 4.3% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2008.
That places Nicaragua 150th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1.5% | — |
| 1969 | 1.4% | -5.7% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | +15.0% |
| 1971 | 1.5% | -5.0% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +24.0% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -23.9% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +20.1% |
| 1976 | 2.1% | +18.4% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | +19.3% |
| 1978 | 3.2% | +30.7% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 3.3% | +7.8% |
| 1981 | 4.3% | +29.6% |
| 1991 | 4.0% | -7.7% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -34.2% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -20.1% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -43.4% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -7.3% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -13.9% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -17.8% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +8.8% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -12.7% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +26.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -15.1% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -21.3% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +26.5% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +13.2% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -17.5% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | -12.7% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 0.6% | +2.4% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 0.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 39% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 0.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.0%, 57% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.4% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 0.7% | 4.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More public sector data for Nicaragua
- 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 13.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.01 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -91.86 % change on previous year (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Nicaragua?
- Military expenditure in Nicaragua was 0.6% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1981.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
- How does Nicaragua rank for military expenditure?
- Nicaragua ranks 150th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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