Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 4.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Sri Lanka, 1990–2025
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 Sri Lanka is 4.9%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.4% on the previous year and down 60.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Sri Lanka peaked at 19.5% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2025.
That places Sri Lanka 88th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.5% | — |
| 1991 | 9.5% | +27.0% |
| 1992 | 12.0% | +25.4% |
| 1993 | 12.1% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 12.6% | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 19.3% | +53.0% |
| 1996 | 19.5% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 17.7% | -9.5% |
| 1998 | 17.8% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 16.1% | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 18.9% | +17.9% |
| 2001 | 15.6% | -17.4% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | -13.1% |
| 2003 | 12.5% | -7.7% |
| 2004 | 13.2% | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | -15.8% |
| 2006 | 11.5% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 13.9% | +20.3% |
| 2008 | 16.4% | +18.6% |
| 2009 | 14.6% | -11.5% |
| 2010 | 13.5% | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 13.5% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 12.1% | -10.6% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 13.5% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | -13.4% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 9.9% | -10.5% |
| 2019 | 9.0% | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 8.4% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | -15.7% |
| 2023 | 6.8% | -6.6% |
| 2024 | 6.6% | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 4.9% | -25.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 4.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.4% | 7.5% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 11.1% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.9% | 9.0% | 13.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.1% | 4.9% | 8.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- 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 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4107 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 Sri Lanka?
- Military expenditure in Sri Lanka was 4.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 1996.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2025.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for military expenditure?
- Sri Lanka ranks 88th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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