Military expenditure in Pakistan
Pakistan: Military expenditure was 2.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.7%
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
39th
of 165 countries
All-time high
7.0%
in 1986
All-time low
2.7%
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Military expenditure in Pakistan, 1960–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, military expenditure in Pakistan stood at 2.7%. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 7.4% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Pakistan peaked at 7.0% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2024.
Pakistan ranks 39th of 165 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Military expenditure in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.3% | — |
| 1961 | 4.1% | -5.0% |
| 1962 | 3.7% | -10.8% |
| 1963 | 3.6% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 3.9% | +6.0% |
| 1965 | 5.9% | +52.7% |
| 1966 | 6.7% | +14.0% |
| 1967 | 5.4% | -19.7% |
| 1968 | 5.1% | -5.6% |
| 1969 | 5.5% | +8.0% |
| 1970 | 6.2% | +11.7% |
| 1971 | 6.7% | +9.4% |
| 1972 | 6.9% | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 6.2% | -9.5% |
| 1974 | 6.1% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 6.3% | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | -6.8% |
| 1977 | 5.5% | -5.8% |
| 1978 | 5.5% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 5.5% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 6.4% | +11.6% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 6.7% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 7.0% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 7.0% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 6.8% | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | -3.7% |
| 1990 | 6.5% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 6.7% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 6.4% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 5.9% | -7.8% |
| 1995 | 5.8% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 6.0% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 5.6% | -6.9% |
| 1998 | 5.4% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 4.2% | -19.7% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 4.1% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | +6.0% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -9.3% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | -7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.8% | 3.6% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.1% | 5.5% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 5.5% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.2% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More public sector data for Pakistan
- Arms imports 982.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.91 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0026 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -58.96 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 982.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 40.46 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0273 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 17.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 10.17 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 3,104 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Pakistan?
- Military expenditure in Pakistan was 2.7% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.0% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2024.
- How does Pakistan rank for military expenditure?
- Pakistan ranks 39th out of 165 countries with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 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