Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Nepal
Nepal: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 4.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Nepal, 2000–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 4.5% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 42.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Nepal peaked at 14.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2022.
Nepal ranks 101st of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.9% | — |
| 2001 | 7.5% | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | +30.9% |
| 2003 | 11.7% | +19.5% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | +14.1% |
| 2005 | 14.0% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 13.7% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 10.4% | -24.6% |
| 2008 | 10.5% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 8.5% | -18.9% |
| 2010 | 8.3% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 7.4% | -10.2% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | +16.7% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 7.7% | -10.4% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | -18.9% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | -23.3% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 4.5% | -2.9% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 4.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.8%, 77% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.6% | 6.9% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.2% | 4.5% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More public sector data for Nepal
- 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 6.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2021)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 428.57 % change on previous year (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Nepal?
- Military expenditure in Nepal was 4.5% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 14.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2022.
- How does Nepal rank for military expenditure?
- Nepal ranks 101st out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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