Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Iraq
Iraq: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 5.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Iraq, 2004–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Iraq stood at 5.5%.
That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and down 55.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Iraq peaked at 12.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2004.
That places Iraq 77th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1.8% | — |
| 2005 | 3.5% | +93.6% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 5.1% | +35.1% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | -18.8% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | +14.7% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | +15.2% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 4.4% | -16.6% |
| 2013 | 6.9% | +55.2% |
| 2014 | 6.7% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | +84.8% |
| 2016 | 8.4% | -32.7% |
| 2017 | 11.0% | +31.4% |
| 2018 | 8.8% | -19.7% |
| 2019 | 9.3% | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | -20.4% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | -16.3% |
| 2022 | 4.8% | -22.4% |
| 2023 | 5.1% | +6.0% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | +3.5% |
| 2025 | 5.5% | +4.3% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 5.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 5.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 12.3%, 45% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.9% | 1.8% | 5.1% | 6 |
| 2010s | 7.9% | 4.4% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 4.8% | 7.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More public sector data for Iraq
- 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 55.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4995 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 -20.69 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Iraq?
- Military expenditure in Iraq was 5.5% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 12.5% in 2015.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2004.
- How does Iraq rank for military expenditure?
- Iraq ranks 77th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq 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