Cuba: Military expenditure (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Cuba's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 4.9% on 2017 (from 2.78 billion to 2.92 billion).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2017), the average change was +5.1% and a typical year strayed about 11.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 35.3% in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 15.9% in 1991. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is upward, about 89.92 million a year. A straight line explains 65% 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.

Closest to Cuba in the 2018 ranking

• Uzbekistan — 1st of 3: 11.62 trillion
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 2nd of 3: 216.6 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 31 values

Military expenditure (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 4.82 trillion (2025)
• Belize — 66.63 million (2025)
• Bolivia — 4.76 billion (2025)
• Brazil — 134 billion (2025)
• Chile — 5.07 trillion (2025)
• Colombia — 58.75 trillion (2025)
• Costa Rica — 0 (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 64 billion (2025)
• Ecuador — 2.74 billion (2025)
• El Salvador — 490 million (2025)
• Guatemala

More public sector data for Cuba

• Armed forces personnel, total — 76,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.54% (2020)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 1.86 (2019)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 7.12 (2019)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 4.46 (2019)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 40 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 61.97 (2024)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 128.61 million (2018)
• Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Cuba's military expenditure (current LCU)?

2.92 billion in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is up 272.38% from 784 million in 1978 (3.34% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.92 billion in 2018 and the lowest 300 million in 1993.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (current LCU) unusual for Cuba?

In 2018, Cuba's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 4.9% on 2017 (from 2.78 billion to 2.92 billion). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2017), the average change was +5.1% and a typical year strayed about 11.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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.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.

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