Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Pakistan
Pakistan: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 13.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Pakistan, 1993–2025
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 Pakistan is 13.8%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Pakistan peaked at 27.4% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 2025.
Pakistan ranks 22nd of 164 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 25.1% | — |
| 1994 | 27.4% | +9.1% |
| 1995 | 27.2% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 24.6% | -9.7% |
| 1997 | 25.0% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 23.4% | -6.4% |
| 1999 | 24.0% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 22.4% | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 24.0% | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 22.6% | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 25.4% | +12.6% |
| 2004 | 26.1% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 24.5% | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 21.4% | -12.6% |
| 2007 | 18.0% | -15.6% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 16.9% | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 16.8% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 17.0% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 16.1% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 15.9% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 17.6% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 18.8% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 18.4% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 17.2% | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 18.4% | +6.9% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | -13.3% |
| 2023 | 15.0% | -5.9% |
| 2024 | 14.0% | -6.5% |
| 2025 | 13.8% | -1.4% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 13.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.8%, 2.4× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 13.8% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 12.3%, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.2% | 23.4% | 27.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 21.7% | 16.1% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.4% | 15.9% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.7% | 13.8% | 18.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More public sector data for Pakistan
- 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 706.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.91 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0026 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -58.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Pakistan?
- Military expenditure in Pakistan was 13.8% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 27.4% in 1994.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 2025.
- How does Pakistan rank for military expenditure?
- Pakistan ranks 22nd out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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 — 33 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