Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 2.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in Sierra Leone, 2000–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 2.5% for military expenditure in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 41.3% on the previous year and down 44.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Sierra Leone peaked at 15.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2025.
That places Sierra Leone 138th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.4% | — |
| 2001 | 14.4% | -6.5% |
| 2002 | 10.8% | -24.7% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 8.7% | -19.8% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 8.9% | +12.9% |
| 2007 | 10.4% | +16.4% |
| 2008 | 5.8% | -43.8% |
| 2009 | 6.2% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 4.8% | -21.9% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | -16.3% |
| 2012 | 3.8% | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 5.5% | +34.1% |
| 2015 | 4.5% | -19.3% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 4.5% | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -24.6% |
| 2019 | 2.8% | -17.0% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | +15.2% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | +12.2% |
| 2024 | 4.2% | +8.2% |
| 2025 | 2.5% | -41.3% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 2.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.3%, 27% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 2.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.9%, 42% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.9% | 5.8% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 2.8% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 2.5% | 4.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More public sector data for Sierra Leone
- 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 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2016)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.2776 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2016)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2016)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Sierra Leone?
- Military expenditure in Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2025.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for military expenditure?
- Sierra Leone ranks 138th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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