Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Mexico
Mexico: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 2.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Mexico, 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 Mexico stood at 2.5%.
That represents a change of down 30.4% on the previous year and up 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Mexico peaked at 3.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2006.
That places Mexico 136th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.7% | — |
| 1991 | 2.0% | +14.5% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | +14.0% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | +14.5% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -13.3% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | -9.2% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -14.3% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | +23.4% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | -17.2% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | +28.1% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -9.3% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | +8.4% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | +9.6% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | +8.4% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | +28.1% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | +58.4% |
| 2025 | 2.5% | -30.4% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 2.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 52% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 2.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 69% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Mexico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +58.4% | 2.3% | 3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.3% | 3.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 133 Bolivia 3.2% compare
- 134 Lesotho 2.7% compare
- 135 New Zealand 2.7% compare
- 137 Trinidad and Tobago 2.5% compare
- 138 Sierra Leone 2.5% compare
- 139 Mongolia 2.5% compare
More public sector data for Mexico
- 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 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3515 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -98.76 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Mexico?
- Military expenditure in Mexico was 2.5% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2006.
- How does Mexico rank for military expenditure?
- Mexico ranks 136th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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