Military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Military expenditure was 1.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.1%
Change on year
down 3.2%
Rank
42nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
4.1%
in 1977
All-time low
0.9%
in 2019
Years of data
61
1964–2024
Military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1964–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 1.1% for military expenditure in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 4.1% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2019.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 42nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 1.9% | — |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +14.5% |
| 1966 | 1.9% | -12.5% |
| 1967 | 2.7% | +46.1% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | +8.5% |
| 1970 | 2.7% | -13.4% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | -8.9% |
| 1972 | 2.7% | +9.0% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 4.0% | +38.7% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 4.1% | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 4.0% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 3.7% | -9.2% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | -13.5% |
| 1981 | 3.0% | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | -5.1% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -4.5% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | -8.6% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | +7.5% |
| 1987 | 3.5% | +21.2% |
| 1988 | 3.8% | +9.7% |
| 1989 | 3.8% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 3.7% | -4.6% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | -19.5% |
| 1992 | 2.3% | -21.0% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | -17.8% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -24.1% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -21.1% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +55.1% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | -13.3% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -12.4% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -9.7% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +13.1% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -17.9% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -10.3% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -8.2% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +13.2% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | +11.8% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -10.0% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | -3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 3.1% | 6 |
| 1970s | 3.3% | 2.4% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.2% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 39 Pakistan 2.7% compare
- 40 Timor-Leste 2.7% compare
- 41 Djibouti 2.6% compare
- 42 Serbia 2.6% compare
- 43 Lebanon 2.6% compare
- 44 Republic of Korea 2.6% compare
- 45 Central African Republic 2.5% compare
More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Arms imports 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.5807 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 25.82 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 16.8 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0109 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -6.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 21.67 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 30.58 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1.1% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 1977.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for military expenditure?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 42nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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