Military expenditure in Upper middle income

Upper middle income: Military expenditure was 1.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.8%
Change on year
up 2.4%
Rank
24th
of 43 groups
All-time high
3.9%
in 1976
All-time low
1.5%
in 2021
Years of data
61
1961–2024

Military expenditure in Upper middle income, 1961–2024

01234196119922024

Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2024, military expenditure in Upper middle income stood at 1.8%.

The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 8.4% 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 24th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.

Military expenditure in Upper middle income, year by year

Annual values for Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Upper middle income, 1961 to 2024.
Year % of GDP Change
1961 2.1%
1962 2.4% +12.6%
1963 2.2% -6.9%
1964 2.1% -4.6%
1966 2.4% +13.1%
1967 2.5% +6.9%
1968 2.5% -2.7%
1969 2.5% +0.7%
1971 2.5% +1.1%
1973 2.3% -9.1%
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% -12.4%
1981 2.8% +11.4%
1982 2.8% +0.2%
1983 3.0% +4.5%
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% -4.2%
1993 1.8% -8.6%
1994 1.8% +1.7%
1995 1.9% +4.6%
1996 1.8% -2.2%
1997 1.8% -4.0%
1998 1.7% -4.2%
1999 1.7% +2.3%
2000 1.7% -4.3%
2001 1.7% +2.7%
2002 1.7% +2.7%
2003 1.7% -1.9%
2004 1.7% -3.4%
2005 1.6% -2.4%
2006 1.6% -1.4%
2007 1.6% -0.8%
2008 1.6% +1.0%
2009 1.8% +11.0%
2010 1.6% -7.7%
2011 1.6% -4.8%
2012 1.6% +3.3%
2013 1.6% +1.8%
2014 1.7% +1.3%
2015 1.7% +1.4%
2016 1.7% -0.9%
2017 1.6% -2.1%
2018 1.6% -1.9%
2019 1.6% +0.3%
2020 1.7% +4.8%
2021 1.5% -9.1%
2022 1.6% +6.2%
2023 1.8% +8.0%
2024 1.8% +2.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.3% 2.1% 2.5% 8
1970s 3.2% 2.3% 3.9% 8
1980s 2.7% 2.5% 3.0% 10
1990s 1.9% 1.7% 2.2% 10
2000s 1.7% 1.6% 1.8% 10
2010s 1.6% 1.6% 1.7% 10
2020s 1.7% 1.5% 1.8% 5

Countries ranked near Upper middle income

  1. 21 Burundi 3.8% compare
  2. 22 Brunei Darussalam 3.6% compare
  3. 23 Morocco 3.5% compare
  4. 24 United States of America 3.4% compare
  5. 25 Estonia 3.4% compare
  6. 26 Colombia 3.4% compare
  7. 27 Latvia 3.3% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More public sector data for Upper middle income

All data for Upper middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure in Upper middle income?
Military expenditure in Upper middle income was 1.8% in 2024, 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 24th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
Is military expenditure rising or falling in Upper middle income?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. 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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Military expenditure in Upper middle income. Statizoid, drawing on SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-percent-of-gdp/upper-middle-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
209 places, 10,533 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product