Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.9%
Change on year
up 5.5%
Rank
25th
of 45 groups
All-time high
3.9%
in 1976
All-time low
1.5%
in 2021
Years of data
63
1961–2025
Military expenditure in Upper middle income, 1961–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Upper middle income stood at 1.9%.
The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Upper middle income peaked at 3.9% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2021.
That places Upper middle income 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.1% | — |
| 1962 | 2.4% | +12.6% |
| 1963 | 2.2% | -6.7% |
| 1964 | 2.1% | -4.6% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | +13.1% |
| 1967 | 2.5% | +6.9% |
| 1968 | 2.5% | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 2.5% | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 2.5% | -1.4% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -6.4% |
| 1973 | 2.3% | -2.9% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +29.4% |
| 1975 | 3.6% | +21.5% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | +7.8% |
| 1977 | 3.8% | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 3.6% | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 2.9% | -20.9% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -12.7% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | +11.6% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | -9.4% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 2.7% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | -7.4% |
| 1990 | 2.2% | -10.1% |
| 1991 | 2.0% | -9.4% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | -9.0% |
| 1994 | 1.8% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -4.3% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -7.9% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | +7.7% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 1.9% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 8 |
| 1970s | 3.1% | 2.3% | 3.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
More public sector data for Upper middle income
- Arms imports 7.32 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.63 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 2.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 8.06 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 179.69 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0172 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 6.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 551.35 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 176.55 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Upper middle income?
- Military expenditure in Upper middle income was 1.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 1976.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2021.
- How does Upper middle income rank for military expenditure?
- Upper middle income ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Upper middle income 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