Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 5.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria stood at 5.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 61.4% on the previous year and up 56.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Nigeria peaked at 8.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2007.
That places Nigeria 67th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.2% | — |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -5.4% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | -30.4% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | +22.4% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +30.5% |
| 1995 | 3.9% | +64.8% |
| 1996 | 3.7% | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | -12.8% |
| 1998 | 3.5% | +9.1% |
| 1999 | 4.1% | +16.7% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | -46.1% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | +15.1% |
| 2002 | 4.9% | +94.7% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -50.1% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -16.7% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +26.8% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | -27.8% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +66.5% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | +21.8% |
| 2016 | 4.4% | +17.4% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -19.0% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +10.1% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | +42.1% |
| 2021 | 8.1% | +54.3% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -43.9% |
| 2023 | 6.0% | +33.6% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | -39.5% |
| 2025 | 5.9% | +61.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 5.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.8%, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 5.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.9%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 1.5% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 3.7% | 8.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More public sector data for Nigeria
- 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 21.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.2879 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -27.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Nigeria?
- Military expenditure in Nigeria was 5.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2007.
- How does Nigeria rank for military expenditure?
- Nigeria ranks 67th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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