Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Sudan
Sudan: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 0.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Sudan, 1960–2021
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military expenditure in Sudan is 0.9%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 83.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Sudan peaked at 5.5% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2021.
That places Sudan 129th out of 167 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Sudan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.9% | — |
| 1961 | 1.8% | -3.8% |
| 1962 | 2.1% | +11.6% |
| 1963 | 2.1% | +4.4% |
| 1964 | 3.1% | +46.2% |
| 1965 | 4.1% | +31.0% |
| 1966 | 3.5% | -14.3% |
| 1967 | 3.7% | +3.7% |
| 1968 | 3.8% | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 5.2% | +38.6% |
| 1970 | 5.0% | -4.7% |
| 1971 | 4.6% | -7.1% |
| 1972 | 4.2% | -8.9% |
| 1973 | 3.2% | -24.6% |
| 1974 | 2.6% | -18.8% |
| 1975 | 2.3% | -12.3% |
| 1976 | 2.7% | +18.5% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 2.0% | -22.0% |
| 1979 | 2.6% | +27.1% |
| 1980 | 2.3% | -11.2% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | -22.6% |
| 1982 | 2.4% | +37.0% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | +33.9% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | +25.0% |
| 1985 | 3.4% | -16.8% |
| 1986 | 3.2% | -5.1% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -20.9% |
| 1988 | 3.6% | +39.1% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | +35.5% |
| 1991 | 5.0% | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 4.4% | -12.1% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | +12.1% |
| 1994 | 3.9% | -20.8% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | -46.8% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -38.8% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | -24.8% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +149.4% |
| 1999 | 4.0% | +68.5% |
| 2000 | 4.5% | +11.5% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -44.8% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -30.2% |
| 2004 | 4.7% | +149.8% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -28.9% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | +12.2% |
| 2008 | 5.0% | +21.9% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | +9.5% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | -50.3% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -16.0% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | +44.2% |
| 2018 | 1.8% | -45.9% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -8.4% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -40.1% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -5.2% |
Sudan compared with similar countries
- Sudan's 0.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.8%, 50% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Sudan's 0.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 71% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Sudan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +149.4% | 1.0% | 2.4% |
| 2004 | +149.8% | 1.9% | 4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.1% | 1.8% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.2% | 2.0% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 1.8% | 4.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.4% | 1.0% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 1.9% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 1.6% | 3.3% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sudan
More public sector data for Sudan
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2019)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2019)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2019)
- 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 -100 % change on previous year (2019)
- Arms imports 57.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.0396 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -66.67 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Sudan?
- Military expenditure in Sudan was 0.9% in 2021, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 2009.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2021.
- How does Sudan rank for military expenditure?
- Sudan ranks 129th out of 167 countries with data for 2021.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 83.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sudan 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