Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Poland
Poland: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 4.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Poland, 1980–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Poland recorded 4.5% for military expenditure in 2025. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.8% on the previous year and up 111.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Poland peaked at 4.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2008.
That places Poland 15th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Poland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.7% | — |
| 1981 | 2.9% | +9.8% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | +11.4% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | -10.6% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | -6.1% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | -6.2% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -29.9% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +43.8% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -13.8% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | +10.7% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | -7.9% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | -16.3% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 1.9% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -12.7% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | +11.5% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +7.2% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +15.9% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | +47.7% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | +15.3% |
| 2025 | 4.5% | +19.8% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 4.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 2.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Poland's 4.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.0%, 2.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Poland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +47.7% | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| 1990 | +43.8% | 1.8% | 2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.8% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.2% | 4.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More public sector data for Poland
- 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 2.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 39.61 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0016 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 8.55 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Poland?
- Military expenditure in Poland was 4.5% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2008.
- How does Poland rank for military expenditure?
- Poland ranks 15th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 111.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Poland 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