Brunei Darussalam: Military expenditure (current USD)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Brunei Darussalam's military expenditure (current USD) rose 24.7% on 2023 (from 449.23 million to 560.27 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3% and a typical year strayed about 12.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 70.8% in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.3% in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 13.95 million a year. A straight line explains 52% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Brunei Darussalam in the 2024 ranking

• Myanmar — 1st of 2: 5.01 billion

What this measures

Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given 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.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 41 values

Military expenditure (current USD) in nearby economies

• Australia — 35.33 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — 738.95 million (2025)
• China — 335.52 billion (2025)
• Fiji — 81.16 million (2025)
• Indonesia — 15.03 billion (2025)
• Japan — 62.16 billion (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 47.77 billion (2025)
• Malaysia — 4.93 billion (2025)
• Mongolia — 221.32 million (2025)
• Myanmar — 5.01 billion (2024)
• New Zealand

More public sector data for Brunei Darussalam

• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 748.54 million (2024)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.65% (2024)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 28 million (2024)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 12.15% (2024)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 8,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 3.57% (2020)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 80 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 61.56 (2024)

Every indicator for Brunei Darussalam is on the .

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Questions people ask

What is Brunei Darussalam's military expenditure (current USD)?

560.27 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is up 475.42% from 97.37 million in 1984 (4.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 560.27 million in 2024 and the lowest 97.37 million in 1984.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (current USD) unusual for Brunei Darussalam?

In 2024, Brunei Darussalam's military expenditure (current USD) rose 24.7% on 2023 (from 449.23 million to 560.27 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3% and a typical year strayed about 12.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.CD, 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.

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