Kazakhstan's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 2.12% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 2.73 percentage points from 4.85% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 2.12% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 3.7% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 4.85% | 2015 |
| Highest | 5.47% | 2007 |
| Lowest | 1.9% | 2023 |
| Average since 2016 | 3.3% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 4.86% | 2002 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Kazakhstan's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 0.18 percentage points on 2024 (from 1.94% to 2.12%).
Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2024), the average change was −0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.64 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 0.98 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.35 percentage points in 2020. 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 downward, about 0.31 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 67% 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, Kazakhstan had the 137th highest value of the 149 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Kazakhstan | 2.12% | 2025 |
| World | 6.63% | 2024 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 6.55% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 5.61% | 2024 |
Closest to Kazakhstan in the 2025 ranking
- Brazil — 133rd of 149: 2.2%
- South Africa — 134th of 149: 2.19%
- Gambia, The — 135th of 149: 2.19%
- Nicaragua — 137th of 149: 2.05%
- Austria — 138th of 149: 2%
- Argentina — 139th of 149: 1.77%
What this measures
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure
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 24 values
| Year | Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.12 |
| 2024 | 1.94 |
| 2023 | 1.9 |
| 2022 | 2.38 |
| 2021 | 3.71 |
| 2020 | 3.7 |
| 2019 | 5.04 |
| 2018 | 4.43 |
| 2017 | 3.45 |
| 2016 | 4.34 |
| 2015 |
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in nearby economies
- Albania — 6.71% (2025)
- Armenia — 19.89% (2025)
- Austria — 2% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 17.68% (2025)
- Belarus — 5.71% (2025)
- Belgium — 3.67% (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 1.56% (2025)
- Bulgaria — 5.2% (2025)
- Croatia — 4.14% (2025)
More public sector data for Kazakhstan
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 682.3 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.43% (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.31 billion (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 18 million (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 71,000 (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.74% (2020)
- Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 2.55 (2022)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 1.42 trillion (2023)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 1.19% (2023)
- Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Kazakhstan's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)?
- 2.12% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2002?
- It is down 2.74 percentage points from 4.86% in 2002. The highest value was 5.47% in 2007 and the lowest 1.9% in 2023.
- How does Kazakhstan rank?
- 137th highest of 149 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) unusual for Kazakhstan?
- In 2025, Kazakhstan's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 0.18 percentage points on 2024 (from 1.94% to 2.12%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2024), the average change was −0.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.64 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.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.
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