Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Uganda
Uganda: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 2.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Uganda, 1961–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Uganda stood at 2.0%.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 98.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Uganda peaked at 4.1% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1962.
Uganda ranks 76th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0% | — |
| 1962 | 0.1% | +412.1% |
| 1963 | 0.4% | +226.0% |
| 1964 | 0.7% | +76.3% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | +74.0% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | +26.9% |
| 1967 | 1.6% | +13.0% |
| 1968 | 1.8% | +10.5% |
| 1969 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 2.0% | +8.1% |
| 1971 | 3.5% | +75.8% |
| 1972 | 4.1% | +17.1% |
| 1973 | 3.5% | -13.9% |
| 1974 | 3.6% | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | -22.1% |
| 1976 | 3.2% | +12.8% |
| 1977 | 2.0% | -36.1% |
| 1978 | 2.0% | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 1.7% | -14.2% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | +31.4% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -14.8% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +12.3% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | +18.4% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | +9.2% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -11.0% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | -4.9% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | +11.0% |
| 1990 | 3.0% | +8.7% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -15.5% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | -33.8% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | +16.4% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | -4.3% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +15.4% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +8.7% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -33.6% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -10.7% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +71.8% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -53.7% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -20.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +10.9% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +49.1% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +43.7% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -21.1% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | +5.1% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 2.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.8%, 1.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 2.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Uganda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +412.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1963 | +226.0% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 1.7% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More public sector data for Uganda
- 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 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3288 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 -75.38 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Uganda?
- Military expenditure in Uganda was 2.0% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 1972.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1962.
- How does Uganda rank for military expenditure?
- Uganda ranks 76th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 98.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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