Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Belgium
Belgium: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 3.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Belgium, 1988–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 3.7% for military expenditure in 2025.
The figure is up 55.3% on the previous year and up 117.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Belgium peaked at 4.6% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2016.
That places Belgium 127th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 4.6% | — |
| 1989 | 4.5% | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 4.3% | -4.3% |
| 1991 | 4.1% | -5.1% |
| 1992 | 3.2% | -20.3% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | -7.2% |
| 1994 | 3.0% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -9.8% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | -11.3% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | +17.2% |
| 2023 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 2.4% | +6.5% |
| 2025 | 3.7% | +55.3% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 3.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 77% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 3.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.8%, 76% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Belgium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +55.3% | 2.4% | 3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More public sector data for Belgium
- 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 430.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 43.43 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0008 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -92.94 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Belgium?
- Military expenditure in Belgium was 3.7% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 1988.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2016.
- How does Belgium rank for military expenditure?
- Belgium ranks 127th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 117.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure