Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Thailand
Thailand: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.0%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
123rd
of 167 countries
All-time high
4.4%
in 1979
All-time low
1.0%
in 2006
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Military expenditure in Thailand, 1960–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Thailand recorded 1.0% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 22.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Thailand peaked at 4.4% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2006.
That places Thailand 123rd out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.5% | — |
| 1961 | 2.1% | -14.9% |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +25.3% |
| 1963 | 2.6% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 2.4% | -7.1% |
| 1965 | 2.3% | -4.3% |
| 1966 | 2.2% | -6.9% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | +12.1% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +13.5% |
| 1969 | 3.0% | +8.6% |
| 1970 | 3.1% | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 3.6% | +16.2% |
| 1972 | 3.5% | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | -17.0% |
| 1974 | 2.7% | -7.9% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +12.0% |
| 1977 | 3.5% | +11.2% |
| 1978 | 3.9% | +12.7% |
| 1979 | 4.4% | +11.7% |
| 1980 | 4.2% | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 4.1% | -4.3% |
| 1982 | 4.1% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 4.0% | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 4.2% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 3.8% | -9.4% |
| 1987 | 3.4% | -11.4% |
| 1988 | 2.9% | -12.7% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | -8.5% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -9.1% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -14.6% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -12.5% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | -8.4% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -7.2% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -12.6% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +22.9% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +23.0% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -8.7% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -9.0% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | -7.0% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -1.2% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 1.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 73% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 1.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.4%, 74% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.3% | 2.7% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 2.7% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.6% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More public sector data for Thailand
- 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 33.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.02 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 -74.91 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Thailand?
- Military expenditure in Thailand was 1.0% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 1979.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2006.
- How does Thailand rank for military expenditure?
- Thailand ranks 123rd out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Thailand 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