Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Libya
Libya: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 5.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Libya, 1997–2023
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, military expenditure in Libya stood at 5.5%.
The figure is up 21.2% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Libya peaked at 14.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2007.
That places Libya 78th out of 164 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Libya, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 11.7% | — |
| 1998 | 14.2% | +21.6% |
| 1999 | 11.5% | -18.9% |
| 2000 | 10.3% | -10.9% |
| 2001 | 6.3% | -38.7% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | -16.8% |
| 2003 | 4.8% | -7.7% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 5.0% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -28.6% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | -21.7% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | +165.1% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | -12.6% |
| 2014 | 10.9% | +52.3% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -58.7% |
| 2023 | 5.5% | +21.2% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 5.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Libya's 5.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 12.3%, 44% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Libya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +165.1% | 3.1% | 8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.5% | 11.5% | 14.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 5.1% | 2.8% | 10.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.8% | 7.2% | 10.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 4.5% | 5.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More public sector data for Libya
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2018)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2018)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2018)
- 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 -100 % change on previous year (2018)
- Arms imports 5.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.6774 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 -85.29 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Libya?
- Military expenditure in Libya was 5.5% in 2023, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 14.2% in 1998.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2007.
- How does Libya rank for military expenditure?
- Libya ranks 78th out of 164 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Libya 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure