Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.4%
Change on year
down 43.9%
World rank
159th
of 167 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 2001
All-time low
0.2%
in 1985
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Military expenditure in Sierra Leone, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Sierra Leone stood at 0.4%.
The figure is down 43.9% on the previous year and down 36.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Sierra Leone peaked at 1.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1985.
That places Sierra Leone 159th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.8% | — |
| 1961 | 0.7% | -3.3% |
| 1962 | 0.7% | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 0.8% | +6.8% |
| 1964 | 0.8% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 1966 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | +15.1% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 0.9% | +8.4% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | +7.1% |
| 1971 | 0.9% | -3.9% |
| 1972 | 1.0% | +6.0% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | +9.4% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | +16.4% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | -15.1% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +6.0% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -8.1% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +10.8% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -47.0% |
| 1981 | 0.5% | -7.4% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | -20.4% |
| 1983 | 0.4% | -16.7% |
| 1984 | 0.3% | -16.2% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | -25.6% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | +53.6% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | -27.2% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +19.9% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +73.9% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | +56.5% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | +55.9% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | +31.9% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -22.6% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -4.3% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -31.3% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -43.5% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +34.0% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | +69.8% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | +44.3% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +9.2% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | -21.1% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -23.7% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -11.8% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -28.4% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +15.3% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -13.7% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -11.6% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -9.3% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +59.0% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -22.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | +22.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | -31.2% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -19.2% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +29.2% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | +23.5% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | +9.5% |
| 2025 | 0.4% | -43.9% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 0.4% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.8%, 20% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 0.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 29% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More public sector data for Sierra Leone
- 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 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2016)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.2776 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2016)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2016)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Sierra Leone?
- Military expenditure in Sierra Leone was 0.4% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1985.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for military expenditure?
- Sierra Leone ranks 159th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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