Brunei Darussalam: Military expenditure (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Brunei Darussalam's military expenditure (% of GDP) rose 0.68 percentage points on 2023 (from 2.98% to 3.65%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.66 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 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 2.84 percentage points in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.06 percentage points in 2000. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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: 6.6%

What this measures

Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product

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 (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Australia — 1.92% (2025)
• Cambodia — 1.45% (2025)
• China — 1.72% (2025)
• Fiji — 1.33% (2025)
• Indonesia — 1.04% (2025)
• Japan — 1.41% (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.6% (2025)
• Malaysia — 1.04% (2025)
• Mongolia — 0.88% (2025)
• Myanmar — 6.6% (2024)
• New Zealand — 1.1% (2025)

More public sector data for Brunei Darussalam

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 560.27 million (2024)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 748.54 million (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 .

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Brunei Darussalam's military expenditure (% of GDP)?

3.65% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is up 1.08 percentage points from 2.57% in 1984. The highest value was 7.53% in 1998 and the lowest 2.16% in 2012.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (% of GDP) unusual for Brunei Darussalam?

In 2024, Brunei Darussalam's military expenditure (% of GDP) rose 0.68 percentage points on 2023 (from 2.98% to 3.65%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.66 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 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?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://www.sipri.org/databases.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS, 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.