Libya: Military expenditure (% of GDP)

Key figures

Since 1960 it is up 1.98 percentage points from 1.59% in 1960. 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 (% of GDP) rose 0.77 percentage points on 2022 (from 2.8% to 3.57%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1966 to 2022), the average change was +0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 2.31 percentage points in 1970 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.61 percentage points in 1972. 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 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 40 values

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 1.83% (2021)
• Algeria — 8.83% (2025)
• Bahrain — 3.11% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0.61% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 2.09% (2025)
• Iraq — 2.45% (2025)
• Israel — 7.81% (2025)
• Jordan — 4.56% (2025)
• Kuwait — 4.69% (2025)
• Lebanon — 2.51% (2025)
• Malta — 0.45% (2025)

More public sector data for Libya

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 5 million (2024)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.57 billion (2023)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 7.57 billion (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)

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Questions people ask

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

3.57% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 1.98 percentage points from 1.59% in 1960. The highest value was 6.55% in 2014 and the lowest 0.94% in 2007.

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

In 2023, Libya's military expenditure (% of GDP) rose 0.77 percentage points on 2022 (from 2.8% to 3.57%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1966 to 2022), the average change was +0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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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