Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 5.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2025
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 Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.2%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 7.8% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2021.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 34th out of 44 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.6% | — |
| 2001 | 7.5% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 7.8% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 7.3% | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 5.9% | -13.7% |
| 2016 | 5.8% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 5.5% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 5.1% | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 5.2% | +6.1% |
| 2024 | 5.1% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 5.2% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.3% | 6.8% | 7.8% | 8 |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 5.1% | 5.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 4.8% | 5.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Arms imports 583.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.5807 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 25.82 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 16.8 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0109 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -6.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 21.67 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 30.58 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Military expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa was 5.2% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 2002.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2021.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for military expenditure?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 34th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 — 18 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