Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Sri Lanka, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military expenditure in Sri Lanka is 1.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and down 45.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.9% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1982.
That places Sri Lanka 108th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.2% | — |
| 1961 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| 1963 | 0.9% | -17.1% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | -5.1% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | -6.0% |
| 1969 | 0.8% | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | +13.5% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +48.7% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | -13.0% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | -26.2% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | -9.1% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | -18.0% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | +17.3% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | +3.9% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -8.2% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | -18.1% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -13.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +63.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 3.2% | +242.7% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -14.7% |
| 1987 | 3.4% | +25.8% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | -30.1% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -24.1% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | +29.5% |
| 1991 | 3.1% | +32.4% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +9.3% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 3.7% | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 5.9% | +57.2% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | -5.8% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | -16.1% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 4.0% | -13.2% |
| 2000 | 5.0% | +24.9% |
| 2001 | 4.3% | -14.8% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | -22.0% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -14.2% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -11.9% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | +16.5% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -14.6% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -19.7% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -18.1% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -21.6% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | -3.5% |
| 2025 | 1.3% | +2.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 92% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +242.7% | 0.9% | 3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 0.5% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 2.3% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- 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 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4107 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 80 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Sri Lanka?
- Military expenditure in Sri Lanka was 1.3% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1995.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1982.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for military expenditure?
- Sri Lanka ranks 108th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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