Cuba: Military expenditure (% of GDP)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.64 percentage points from 3.51% in 2013. Since 2009 it is down 0.5 percentage points from 3.38% in 2009.

What the numbers say

In 2018, Cuba's military expenditure (% of GDP) rose 0 percentage points on 2017 (from 2.87% to 2.88%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2017), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.41 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 0.85 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.45 percentage points in 2015. 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 downward, about 0.06 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 32% 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 Cuba in the 2018 ranking

• Uzbekistan — 2nd of 2: 2.49%

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 10 values

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 0.56% (2025)
• Belize — 1% (2025)
• Bolivia — 1.21% (2025)
• Brazil — 1.05% (2025)
• Chile — 1.52% (2025)
• Colombia — 3.2% (2025)
• Costa Rica — 0% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 0.8% (2025)
• Ecuador — 2.1% (2025)
• El Salvador — 1.34% (2025)
• Guatemala — 0.52% (2025)

More public sector data for Cuba

• Armed forces personnel, total — 76,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.54% (2020)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 2.92 billion (2018)
• 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)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

2.88% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2009?

It is down 0.5 percentage points from 3.38% in 2009. The highest value was 3.94% in 2012 and the lowest 2.87% in 2017.

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

In 2018, Cuba's military expenditure (% of GDP) rose 0 percentage points on 2017 (from 2.87% to 2.88%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2017), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.41 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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.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.

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