Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 8.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1996–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo is 8.1%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.8% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 16.5% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2022.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 47th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 16.1% | — |
| 1997 | 12.7% | -21.1% |
| 1998 | 3.5% | -72.6% |
| 1999 | 12.2% | +250.4% |
| 2000 | 8.8% | -27.3% |
| 2003 | 9.6% | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 16.5% | +71.9% |
| 2005 | 15.8% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 15.7% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 12.6% | -19.6% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | -45.0% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | -24.0% |
| 2010 | 5.3% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 6.6% | +23.5% |
| 2012 | 8.3% | +25.0% |
| 2013 | 9.0% | +8.8% |
| 2014 | 6.9% | -23.5% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | +16.8% |
| 2016 | 7.4% | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | -27.1% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 5.8% | +12.5% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | -33.8% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -19.7% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | +118.4% |
| 2024 | 7.2% | +7.0% |
| 2025 | 8.1% | +12.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 8.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.3%, 88% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 8.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.9%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +250.4% | 3.5% | 12.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.1% | 3.5% | 16.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 5.3% | 16.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | 5.2% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 3.1% | 8.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More public sector data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- 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 44.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3203 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 29.63 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Military expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo was 8.1% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 16.5% in 2004.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2022.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for military expenditure?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 47th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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