Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Malawi
Malawi: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 3.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Malawi, 2002–2025
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 Malawi is 3.8%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 13.7% on the previous year and up 66.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Malawi peaked at 4.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2003.
Malawi ranks 120th of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2.2% | — |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -13.3% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | +38.6% |
| 2005 | 4.3% | +62.9% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | -27.2% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -16.1% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +10.7% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | +16.3% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | -22.2% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | +34.9% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -18.7% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -27.3% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +10.3% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | +20.4% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | +29.5% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | -15.9% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | +13.3% |
| 2023 | 4.3% | +23.3% |
| 2024 | 3.4% | -21.6% |
| 2025 | 3.8% | +13.7% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.3%, 42% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.9%, 66% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.9% | 1.9% | 4.3% | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.3% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More public sector data for Malawi
- 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 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.9237 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0015 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Malawi?
- Military expenditure in Malawi was 3.8% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2003.
- How does Malawi rank for military expenditure?
- Malawi ranks 120th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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