Burkina Faso's military expenditure (current LCU) was 518.42 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 492.51% from 87.5 billion in 2015 (19.47% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 518.42 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 220.07 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 87.5 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | 620.76 billion | 2024 |
| Lowest | 311 million | 1960 |
| Average since 2016 | 304.6 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 311 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Burkina Faso's military expenditure (current LCU) fell 16.5% on 2024 (from 620.76 billion to 518.42 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +13.5% and a typical year strayed about 13.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 198% in 1962 and the biggest yearly fall was 34.5% in 1965. 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 57.87 billion a year. A straight line explains 90% 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, Burkina Faso had the 36th 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 Burkina Faso in the 2025 ranking
- Armenia — 33rd of 150: 667.88 billion
- Mali — 34th of 150: 554.09 billion
- Madagascar — 35th of 150: 542.69 billion
- Bangladesh — 37th of 150: 466.17 billion
- Côte d'Ivoire — 38th of 150: 441.6 billion
- Sri Lanka — 39th of 150: 418.25 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 66 values
| Year | Military expenditure (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 518,422,000,000 |
| 2024 | 620,762,000,000 |
| 2023 | 501,726,000,000 |
| 2022 | 350,865,500,000 |
| 2021 | 254,201,000,000 |
| 2020 | 220,074,000,000 |
| 2019 | 209,727,000,000 |
| 2018 | 169,936,000,000 |
| 2017 | 111,699,000,000 |
| 2016 | 88,625,000,000 |
Military expenditure (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Angola — 1.34 trillion (2025)
- Benin — 126.13 billion (2025)
- Botswana — 8.34 billion (2025)
- Burundi — 670.49 billion (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 1.96 billion (2025)
- Cameroon — 364.86 billion (2025)
- Central African Republic — 43.14 billion (2025)
- Chad — 377.27 billion (2025)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3.32 trillion (2025)
- Congo, Rep. — 119.16 billion (2025)
- Côte d'Ivoire
More public sector data for Burkina Faso
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 891.56 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.3% (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 34 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 13.21% (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 11,000 (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.12% (2020)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 137.43 billion (2024)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 0.98% (2024)
- Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 900.19 billion (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Burkina Faso's military expenditure (current LCU)?
- 518.42 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 166,595% from 311 million in 1960 (12.09% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 620.76 billion in 2024 and the lowest 311 million in 1960.
- How does Burkina Faso rank?
- 36th highest of 150 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (current LCU) unusual for Burkina Faso?
- In 2025, Burkina Faso's military expenditure (current LCU) fell 16.5% on 2024 (from 620.76 billion to 518.42 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +13.5% and a typical year strayed about 13.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
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