Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Somalia
Somalia: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Somalia, 1961–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 1.5% for military expenditure in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.2% on the previous year and up 126.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Somalia peaked at 28.9% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1985.
That places Somalia 96th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2% | — |
| 1962 | 0.3% | +10.2% |
| 1963 | 0.3% | +14.0% |
| 1964 | 0.3% | +13.9% |
| 1965 | 0.3% | -10.1% |
| 1966 | 0.4% | +19.1% |
| 1967 | 0.4% | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 0.4% | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 0.4% | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 0.5% | +18.2% |
| 1971 | 0.5% | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | -6.1% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | +11.4% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | +43.8% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | -29.0% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -11.0% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | +115.9% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 0.5% | -43.6% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +10.5% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | -52.6% |
| 1983 | 0.2% | -17.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | -40.2% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -64.6% |
| 1986 | 28.9% | +56986.1% |
| 1987 | 17.0% | -41.4% |
| 1988 | 17.4% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | -91.2% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -71.0% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +110.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -27.1% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | +16.1% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +29.8% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -14.8% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +37.3% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | +8.9% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | +31.1% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -7.2% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 1.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.8%, 83% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 1.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Somalia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +56986.1% | 0.1% | 28.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 0.1% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More public sector data for Somalia
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2012)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2012)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- Arms imports 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.2104 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 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Somalia?
- Military expenditure in Somalia was 1.5% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1985.
- How does Somalia rank for military expenditure?
- Somalia ranks 96th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 126.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Somalia 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