Military expenditure share of GDP

SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability.

MILITARY_EXPENDITURE_GDP_SHARE · raw · annual · percent

Military economic burden

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Military expenditure share of GDP

Military economic burden

SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability.

Data and evidence

Military expenditure share of GDP

South Africa

Values and evidence for South Africa. Unavailable values are gaps, not zero.
Period	Value	Status	Provenance & calculation
1990	≈ 3.90 Exact value 3.8963514782 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83927 · revision 1 Value 3.8963514782 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 3.8963514782 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1991	≈ 3.22 Exact value 3.2226338936 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83926 · revision 1 Value 3.2226338936 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 3.2226338936 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1992	≈ 2.82 Exact value 2.8176506145 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83925 · revision 1 Value 2.8176506145 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 2.8176506145 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1993	≈ 2.50 Exact value 2.4955236980 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83924 · revision 1 Value 2.4955236980 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 2.4955236980 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1994	≈ 2.56 Exact value 2.5619659006 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83923 · revision 1 Value 2.5619659006 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 2.5619659006 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1995	≈ 2.12 Exact value 2.1178640467 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83922 · revision 1 Value 2.1178640467 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 2.1178640467 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1996	≈ 1.76 Exact value 1.7558787982 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83921 · revision 1 Value 1.7558787982 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.7558787982 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1997	≈ 1.58 Exact value 1.5821335567 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83920 · revision 1 Value 1.5821335567 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.5821335567 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1998	≈ 1.38 Exact value 1.3831667231 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83919 · revision 1 Value 1.3831667231 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.3831667231 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
1999	≈ 1.27 Exact value 1.2720529306 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83918 · revision 1 Value 1.2720529306 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.2720529306 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2000	≈ 1.39 Exact value 1.3872891314 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83917 · revision 1 Value 1.3872891314 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.3872891314 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2001	≈ 1.48 Exact value 1.4831610180 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83916 · revision 1 Value 1.4831610180 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.4831610180 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2002	≈ 1.53 Exact value 1.5293095587 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83915 · revision 1 Value 1.5293095587 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.5293095587 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2003	≈ 1.47 Exact value 1.4688112382 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83914 · revision 1 Value 1.4688112382 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.4688112382 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2004	≈ 1.36 Exact value 1.3557285780 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83913 · revision 1 Value 1.3557285780 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.3557285780 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2005	≈ 1.23 Exact value 1.2348112527 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83912 · revision 1 Value 1.2348112527 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.2348112527 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2006	≈ 1.15 Exact value 1.1538720055 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83911 · revision 1 Value 1.1538720055 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.1538720055 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2007	≈ 1.06 Exact value 1.0585196369 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83910 · revision 1 Value 1.0585196369 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0585196369 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2008	≈ 1.04 Exact value 1.0394175930 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83909 · revision 1 Value 1.0394175930 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0394175930 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2009	≈ 1.09 Exact value 1.0895047091 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83908 · revision 1 Value 1.0895047091 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0895047091 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2010	≈ 1.00 Exact value 1.0034810689 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83907 · revision 1 Value 1.0034810689 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0034810689 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2011	≈ 1.00 Exact value 1.0026534041 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83906 · revision 1 Value 1.0026534041 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0026534041 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2012	≈ 1.03 Exact value 1.0335227408 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83905 · revision 1 Value 1.0335227408 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0335227408 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2013	≈ 1.03 Exact value 1.0277940238 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83904 · revision 1 Value 1.0277940238 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0277940238 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2014	≈ 1.02 Exact value 1.0218939963 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83903 · revision 1 Value 1.0218939963 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0218939963 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2015	≈ 1.01 Exact value 1.0069286220 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83902 · revision 1 Value 1.0069286220 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 1.0069286220 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:46 · source revision unspecified
2016	≈ 0.97 Exact value 0.9710467650 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83901 · revision 1 Value 0.9710467650 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.9710467650 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2017	≈ 0.94 Exact value 0.9435684948 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83900 · revision 1 Value 0.9435684948 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.9435684948 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2018	≈ 0.89 Exact value 0.8947570648 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83899 · revision 1 Value 0.8947570648 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.8947570648 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2019	≈ 0.88 Exact value 0.8824302717 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83898 · revision 1 Value 0.8824302717 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.8824302717 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2020	≈ 0.96 Exact value 0.9565107323 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83897 · revision 1 Value 0.9565107323 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.9565107323 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2021	≈ 0.84 Exact value 0.8445213918 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83896 · revision 1 Value 0.8445213918 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.8445213918 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2022	≈ 0.85 Exact value 0.8492302876 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83895 · revision 1 Value 0.8492302876 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.8492302876 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2023	≈ 0.80 Exact value 0.8021020155 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83894 · revision 1 Value 0.8021020155 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.8021020155 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2024	≈ 0.76 Exact value 0.7561482907 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83893 · revision 1 Value 0.7561482907 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.7561482907 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified
2025	≈ 0.74 Exact value 0.7373520085 percent	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #83892 · revision 1 Value 0.7373520085 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference SIPRI military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. This is an indicator of the economic burden of military spending, not military capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 0.7373520085 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:46:45 · source revision unspecified

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