Military expenditure in South Asia
South Asia: Military expenditure was 7.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in South Asia, 1988–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 7.6% for military expenditure in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.
The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in South Asia peaked at 14.6% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2024.
That places South Asia 11th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Military expenditure in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 14.6% | — |
| 1989 | 13.5% | -8.1% |
| 1990 | 12.2% | -9.1% |
| 1991 | 10.8% | -11.7% |
| 1992 | 10.4% | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 11.0% | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 10.5% | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 10.9% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 10.7% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 11.0% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 10.9% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 11.9% | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 11.7% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 10.6% | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 10.0% | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 9.3% | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 10.2% | +10.6% |
| 2005 | 10.4% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 9.6% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 9.1% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 10.5% | +13.4% |
| 2010 | 9.9% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 9.6% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 9.3% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9.5% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 9.0% | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 9.2% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 9.4% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 9.1% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 9.3% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 8.8% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 8.1% | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 7.9% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 7.6% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.1% | 13.5% | 14.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 11.0% | 10.4% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 9.1% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 9.0% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.0% | 7.6% | 8.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More public sector data for South Asia
- Arms imports 1.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.7506 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 -19.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 54.8 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0211 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 91.92 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 467.61 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in South Asia?
- Military expenditure in South Asia was 7.6% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 14.6% in 1988.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2024.
- How does South Asia rank for military expenditure?
- South Asia ranks 11th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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