Military expenditure in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Military expenditure was 1.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.4%
Change on year
down 13.1%
World rank
98th
of 165 countries
All-time high
5.9%
in 1995
All-time low
0.5%
in 1982
Years of data
64
1960–2024
Military expenditure in Sri Lanka, 1960–2024
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 1.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.1% on the previous year and down 40.9% 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 98th out of 165 countries with data for 2024, 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 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% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | -35.8% |
| 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% | -12.3% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -21.6% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +22.1% |
| 2024 | 1.4% | -13.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 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 | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- Arms imports 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- 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)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 60.84 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0134 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 14.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.33 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 80.83 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Sri Lanka?
- Military expenditure in Sri Lanka was 1.4% in 2024, 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 98th out of 165 countries with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. 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