Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Bolivia
Bolivia: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 3.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Bolivia, 1988–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Bolivia recorded 3.2% for military expenditure in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Bolivia peaked at 12.4% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2022.
That places Bolivia 133rd 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 Bolivia, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 8.4% | — |
| 1989 | 8.8% | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 12.4% | +39.9% |
| 1991 | 11.1% | -10.1% |
| 1992 | 9.9% | -10.7% |
| 1993 | 7.1% | -29.0% |
| 1994 | 8.4% | +19.2% |
| 1995 | 8.1% | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 7.6% | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 8.0% | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 9.0% | +11.7% |
| 1999 | 7.3% | -19.1% |
| 2000 | 7.0% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 7.3% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 6.0% | -17.7% |
| 2003 | 6.7% | +12.2% |
| 2004 | 5.9% | -12.6% |
| 2005 | 5.2% | -11.8% |
| 2006 | 4.9% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | +36.2% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | -14.6% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | +66.7% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | -46.1% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | +7.5% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -29.1% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | +24.7% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | -8.8% |
| 2025 | 3.2% | +3.5% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 3.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.8%, 55% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 3.2% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 87% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Bolivia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +66.7% | 5.3% | 8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.6% | 8.4% | 8.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 7.1% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 4.6% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 3.8% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 2.7% | 3.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
More public sector data for Bolivia
- 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 0 SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -23.53 % change on previous year (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Bolivia?
- Military expenditure in Bolivia was 3.2% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 1990.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2022.
- How does Bolivia rank for military expenditure?
- Bolivia ranks 133rd out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bolivia 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