Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 4.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Jamaica, 1990–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Jamaica stood at 4.1%.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Jamaica peaked at 5.6% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2004.
Jamaica ranks 115th of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.1% | — |
| 1991 | 3.0% | -5.4% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +79.1% |
| 1993 | 3.7% | -30.3% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | -23.2% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -20.3% |
| 1996 | 2.0% | -12.3% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | +13.1% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -17.0% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | -8.3% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 1.8% | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +34.0% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -11.3% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | +8.3% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | +7.5% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 3.3% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +33.7% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | +26.0% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | -12.1% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -11.0% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 4.1% | +7.0% |
| 2025 | 4.1% | -0.2% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 4.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 84% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 4.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Jamaica 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +79.1% | 3.0% | 5.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 1.7% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 2.6% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 3.8% | 5.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More public sector data for Jamaica
- 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 10.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.52 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 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Jamaica?
- Military expenditure in Jamaica was 4.1% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2019.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2004.
- How does Jamaica rank for military expenditure?
- Jamaica ranks 115th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica 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