Military expenditure in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Military expenditure was 7.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Least developed countries, 1997–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 7.5% for military expenditure in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Least developed countries peaked at 14.7% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2022.
Least developed countries ranks 13th of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Military expenditure in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 11.7% | — |
| 1998 | 13.3% | +13.6% |
| 1999 | 14.7% | +9.9% |
| 2000 | 13.7% | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 12.0% | -12.3% |
| 2002 | 11.6% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 10.6% | -8.8% |
| 2004 | 11.7% | +10.2% |
| 2005 | 10.4% | -10.4% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 10.4% | -6.5% |
| 2008 | 9.5% | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 11.1% | +17.1% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | -16.7% |
| 2011 | 8.7% | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 7.6% | -12.3% |
| 2013 | 9.0% | +18.1% |
| 2014 | 8.9% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 7.8% | -9.3% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 7.2% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 7.4% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 7.5% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.3% | 11.7% | 14.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 11.2% | 9.5% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 7.2% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 7.0% | 7.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 10 Singapore 20.1% compare
- 11 Israel 20.0% compare
- 12 Russian Federation 18.9% compare
- 13 Armenia 18.3% compare
- 14 Chad 17.2% compare
- 15 United Arab Emirates 17.0% compare
- 16 Burkina Faso 17.0% compare
More public sector data for Least developed countries
- Arms imports 748.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.645 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -26.74 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 748.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 19.79 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0152 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 19.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 23.48 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 36.74 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Least developed countries?
- Military expenditure in Least developed countries was 7.5% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 1999.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2022.
- How does Least developed countries rank for military expenditure?
- Least developed countries ranks 13th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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