Bangladesh's military expenditure (current LCU) was 466.17 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 112.43% from 219.44 billion in 2015 (7.83% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 466.17 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 394.63 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 219.44 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | 466.17 billion | 2025 |
| Lowest | 381.55 million | 1973 |
| Average since 2016 | 368.05 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 381.55 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Bangladesh's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 7.6% on 2024 (from 433.22 billion to 466.17 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +10.7% and a typical year strayed about 7.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 65.6% in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.6% in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 22.05 billion a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Bangladesh had the 37th highest value of the 150 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Bangladesh in the 2025 ranking
- Mali — 34th of 150: 554.09 billion
- Madagascar — 35th of 150: 542.69 billion
- Burkina Faso — 36th of 150: 518.42 billion
- Côte d'Ivoire — 38th of 150: 441.6 billion
- Sri Lanka — 39th of 150: 418.25 billion
- Chad — 40th of 150: 377.27 billion
What this measures
Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)
Limitations: SIPRI strives to compile reliable, consistent military expenditure data by assessing multiple sources, but accuracy depends on the quality and transparency of those sources. Challenges arise from two key issues: whether reported figures reflect actual spending and how closely they match SIPRI’s definition. While data is generally accurate in developed and many developing countries, weak governance, corruption, and secret transfers in others can lead to major discrepancies. SIPRI sometimes makes estimates, when sources conflict or lack coverage, introducing uncertainty, especially for countries like China or the UAE.
All 53 values
| Year | Military expenditure (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 466,168,000,000 |
| 2024 | 433,221,000,000 |
| 2023 | 392,033,500,000 |
| 2022 | 393,590,500,000 |
| 2021 | 412,583,500,000 |
| 2020 | 394,625,000,000 |
| 2019 | 367,187,500,000 |
| 2018 | 304,558,000,000 |
| 2017 | 262,084,500,000 |
| 2016 | 254,475,000,000 |
Military expenditure (current LCU) in nearby economies
More public sector data for Bangladesh
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 32 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 3.83 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.81% (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 7.12% (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 227,000 (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.32% (2020)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 516.32 billion (2021)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 1.46% (2021)
- Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 1.51 trillion (2021)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Bangladesh's military expenditure (current LCU)?
- 466.17 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1973?
- It is up 122,076% from 381.55 million in 1973 (14.65% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 466.17 billion in 2025 and the lowest 381.55 million in 1973.
- How does Bangladesh rank?
- 37th highest of 150 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (current LCU) unusual for Bangladesh?
- In 2025, Bangladesh's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 7.6% on 2024 (from 433.22 billion to 466.17 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +10.7% and a typical year strayed about 7.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://www.sipri.org/databases Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in