Libya: Military expenditure (current USD)

Key figures

Since 1960 it is up 28,130% from 5.57 million in 1960 (9.37% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 24 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Libya's military expenditure (current USD) rose 29.7% on 2022 (from 1.21 billion to 1.57 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1966 to 2022), the average change was +17.1% and a typical year strayed about 35.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 132.8% in 1962 and the biggest yearly fall was 48.1% in 1981. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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.

What this measures

Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given 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.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 40 values

Military expenditure (current USD) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 278.25 million (2021)
• Algeria — 25.44 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — 1.47 billion (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2.5 billion (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7.4 billion (2025)
• Iraq — 6.45 billion (2025)
• Israel — 48.28 billion (2025)
• Jordan — 2.56 billion (2025)
• Kuwait — 8.09 billion (2025)
• Lebanon — 828.3 million (2025)
• Malta

More public sector data for Libya

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 5 million (2024)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 7.57 billion (2023)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.57% (2023)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 0 (2016)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 0 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0% (2020)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 20 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 53.76 (2024)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.47% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Libya's military expenditure (current USD)?

1.57 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 28,130% from 5.57 million in 1960 (9.37% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3.96 billion in 2013 and the lowest 5.57 million in 1960.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (current USD) unusual for Libya?

In 2023, Libya's military expenditure (current USD) rose 29.7% on 2022 (from 1.21 billion to 1.57 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1966 to 2022), the average change was +17.1% and a typical year strayed about 35.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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.CD, 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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