Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Uruguay
Uruguay: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 2.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Uruguay, 1972–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Uruguay stood at 2.3%.
The figure is up 16.8% on the previous year and up 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Uruguay peaked at 6.4% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2012.
Uruguay ranks 56th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2.2% | — |
| 1973 | 3.8% | +71.2% |
| 1974 | 4.5% | +20.4% |
| 1975 | 4.3% | -5.4% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | -18.8% |
| 1977 | 3.7% | +7.6% |
| 1978 | 3.6% | -3.3% |
| 1979 | 3.8% | +5.0% |
| 1980 | 4.7% | +23.6% |
| 1981 | 6.3% | +33.2% |
| 1982 | 6.4% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 5.4% | -16.5% |
| 1984 | 4.6% | -15.0% |
| 1985 | 4.3% | -5.9% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 3.0% | -26.3% |
| 1988 | 3.2% | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 3.5% | +11.8% |
| 1990 | 3.5% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 2.4% | -32.1% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +19.0% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | -7.7% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | -14.5% |
| 1998 | 2.3% | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -11.6% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -8.8% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 1.8% | -11.4% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | +8.6% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 2.1% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 2.3% | +16.8% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 2.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 2.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.0%, 2.3× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Uruguay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | +71.2% | 2.2% | 3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 2.2% | 4.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 4.6% | 3.0% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 53 United Kingdom 2.4% compare
- 54 Central African Republic 2.3% compare
- 55 India 2.3% compare
- 57 Romania 2.3% compare
- 58 Germany 2.3% compare
- 59 East Timor 2.3% compare
More public sector data for Uruguay
- 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 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.95 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 133.33 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Uruguay?
- Military expenditure in Uruguay was 2.3% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2012.
- How does Uruguay rank for military expenditure?
- Uruguay ranks 56th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uruguay 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