Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Serbia
Serbia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 2.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Serbia, 1996–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Serbia recorded 2.8% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 62.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Serbia peaked at 4.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2015.
That places Serbia 42nd out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Serbia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3.2% | — |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -9.2% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | +15.5% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | +30.3% |
| 2001 | 3.6% | -21.0% |
| 2002 | 3.8% | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -18.2% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | -11.1% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -19.3% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +15.0% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | +18.9% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -20.4% |
| 2023 | 2.2% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | +20.8% |
| 2025 | 2.8% | +3.3% |
Serbia compared with similar countries
- Serbia's 2.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Serbia's 2.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.0%, 1.4× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Serbia
More public sector data for Serbia
- 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 146.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 23.23 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0017 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -63.48 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Serbia?
- Military expenditure in Serbia was 2.8% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Serbia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Serbia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2015.
- How does Serbia rank for military expenditure?
- Serbia ranks 42nd out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Serbia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Serbia 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