Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Nigeria, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Nigeria stood at 0.9%.
The figure is up 63.7% on the previous year and up 117.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Nigeria peaked at 10.3% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2006.
That places Nigeria 130th 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.7% | — |
| 1961 | 0.8% | +22.1% |
| 1962 | 1.1% | +29.1% |
| 1963 | 1.1% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 1.2% | +11.8% |
| 1965 | 1.4% | +13.6% |
| 1966 | 1.1% | -21.4% |
| 1967 | 5.8% | +427.5% |
| 1968 | 9.2% | +57.7% |
| 1969 | 10.3% | +12.6% |
| 1970 | 5.3% | -48.8% |
| 1971 | 4.4% | -16.8% |
| 1972 | 5.4% | +22.7% |
| 1973 | 5.5% | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 4.3% | -20.7% |
| 1975 | 8.1% | +87.0% |
| 1976 | 5.8% | -28.7% |
| 1977 | 6.0% | +4.0% |
| 1978 | 5.3% | -11.6% |
| 1979 | 4.3% | -18.8% |
| 1980 | 3.3% | -23.8% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | -15.9% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | -18.2% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | -29.9% |
| 1985 | 1.4% | -7.7% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | -8.7% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | -41.3% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +14.9% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | -34.4% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | +43.7% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -7.1% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -27.1% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | +65.5% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -16.3% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | -38.1% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | -16.0% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +7.3% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | +25.8% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | +56.0% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -36.5% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +43.6% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +22.3% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -40.2% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -14.0% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -19.1% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | +32.1% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | +7.4% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -12.9% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -11.7% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +17.7% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +37.6% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +60.2% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | -35.8% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | +29.6% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -34.1% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | +63.7% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 62% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 70% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Nigeria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +427.5% | 1.1% | 5.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.3% | 0.7% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.4% | 4.3% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 0.6% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 127 Nepal 1.0% compare
- 128 Trinidad and Tobago 0.9% compare
- 129 Sudan 0.9% compare
- 131 Equatorial Guinea 0.9% compare
- 132 Benin 0.9% compare
- 133 Guinea-Bissau 0.9% compare
More public sector data for Nigeria
- 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 21.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.2879 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -27.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Nigeria?
- Military expenditure in Nigeria was 0.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1969.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2006.
- How does Nigeria rank for military expenditure?
- Nigeria ranks 130th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 117.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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