Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in North Macedonia
North Macedonia: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 5.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in North Macedonia, 1997–2025
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 North Macedonia is 5.1%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 66.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in North Macedonia peaked at 16.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2017.
North Macedonia ranks 84th of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in North Macedonia, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6.5% | — |
| 1998 | 6.4% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | -19.2% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | +11.9% |
| 2001 | 16.3% | +182.5% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | -57.6% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 7.0% | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | -10.5% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 6.2% | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 5.2% | -16.8% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | -15.5% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | -7.0% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | -10.5% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 2.8% | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | +24.9% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -14.7% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | +21.9% |
| 2022 | 4.2% | +6.8% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | +18.0% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 5.1% | +5.0% |
North Macedonia compared with similar countries
- North Macedonia's 5.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- North Macedonia's 5.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.8%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in North Macedonia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +182.5% | 5.8% | 16.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.2% | 6.5% | 3 |
| 2000s | 7.1% | 5.0% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 2.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.4% | 3.3% | 5.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Macedonia
More public sector data for North Macedonia
- 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 0.5481 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 -80 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in North Macedonia?
- Military expenditure in North Macedonia was 5.1% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in North Macedonia?
- The highest recorded value was 16.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in North Macedonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2017.
- How does North Macedonia rank for military expenditure?
- North Macedonia ranks 84th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in North Macedonia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Macedonia 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 — 29 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