Military expenditure in Arab World

Arab World: Military expenditure was 16.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
16.9%
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
2nd
of 43 groups
All-time high
30.6%
in 1991
All-time low
14.9%
in 2011
Years of data
31
1991–2024

Military expenditure in Arab World, 1991–2024

01020301991200720241991: 30.6 % of general government expenditure1992: 25.4 % of general government expenditure1993: 24.8 % of general government expenditure1994: 24.7 % of general government expenditure1997: 22.7 % of general government expenditure1999: 23.6 % of general government expenditure2000: 22.4 % of general government expenditure2001: 21.7 % of general government expenditure2002: 19.7 % of general government expenditure2003: 19.3 % of general government expenditure2004: 18.2 % of general government expenditure2005: 18.2 % of general government expenditure2006: 18.2 % of general government expenditure2007: 17.4 % of general government expenditure2008: 15.7 % of general government expenditure2009: 15.7 % of general government expenditure2010: 15.6 % of general government expenditure2011: 14.9 % of general government expenditure2012: 15.2 % of general government expenditure2013: 16.9 % of general government expenditure2014: 17.7 % of general government expenditure2015: 22.1 % of general government expenditure2016: 19.2 % of general government expenditure2017: 21.1 % of general government expenditure2018: 18.9 % of general government expenditure2019: 17.1 % of general government expenditure2020: 16.7 % of general government expenditure2021: 17.2 % of general government expenditure2022: 16.8 % of general government expenditure2023: 16.8 % of general government expenditure2024: 16.9 % of general government expenditure

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

Analysis

In 2024, military expenditure in Arab World stood at 16.9%.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure in Arab World peaked at 30.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2011.

That places Arab World 2nd out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.

Military expenditure in Arab World, year by year

Annual values for Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Arab World, 1991 to 2024.
Year % of general government expenditure Change
1991 30.6%
1992 25.4% -17.0%
1993 24.8% -2.3%
1994 24.7% -0.2%
1997 22.7% -8.1%
1999 23.6% +3.7%
2000 22.4% -5.0%
2001 21.7% -3.2%
2002 19.7% -8.8%
2003 19.3% -2.4%
2004 18.2% -5.3%
2005 18.2% -0.0%
2006 18.2% -0.0%
2007 17.4% -4.4%
2008 15.7% -9.7%
2009 15.7% -0.6%
2010 15.6% -0.1%
2011 14.9% -4.8%
2012 15.2% +2.0%
2013 16.9% +11.2%
2014 17.7% +4.7%
2015 22.1% +25.3%
2016 19.2% -13.3%
2017 21.1% +10.0%
2018 18.9% -10.6%
2019 17.1% -9.5%
2020 16.7% -2.5%
2021 17.2% +3.2%
2022 16.8% -2.6%
2023 16.8% +0.1%
2024 16.9% +0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 25.3% 22.7% 30.6% 6
2000s 18.7% 15.7% 22.4% 10
2010s 17.9% 14.9% 22.1% 10
2020s 16.9% 16.7% 17.2% 5

Countries ranked near Arab World

  1. 1 Ukraine 54.0% compare
  2. 2 Belarus 50.7% compare
  3. 3 Eritrea 46.4% compare
  4. 4 Myanmar 29.1% compare
  5. 5 Qatar 26.9% compare

See the full ranking of 204 places →

More public sector data for Arab World

All data for Arab World →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure in Arab World?
Military expenditure in Arab World was 16.9% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Arab World?
The highest recorded value was 30.6% in 1991.
What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Arab World?
The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2011.
How does Arab World rank for military expenditure?
Arab World ranks 2nd out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
Is military expenditure rising or falling in Arab World?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Arab World data come from?
The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Military expenditure in Arab World. Statizoid, drawing on SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-percent-of-general-government-expenditure/arab-world/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-percent-of-general-government-expenditure/arab-world/">Military expenditure in Arab World</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)
Unit
% of general government expenditure
Source
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
204 places, 5,828 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure