Qatar: Military expenditure (current USD)

Key figures

Since 1980 it is up 2,399% from 616.74 million in 1980 (7.96% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 21 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Qatar's military expenditure (current USD) rose 32.9% on 2021 (from 11.59 billion to 15.41 billion).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2021), the average change was +15.4% and a typical year strayed about 31.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 74.8% in 1985 and the biggest yearly fall was 38.3% in 1983. 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 22 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)
• Libya

More public sector data for Qatar

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 1.05 billion (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 22,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.07% (2020)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 0.07 (2022)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 56.1 billion (2022)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 6.5% (2022)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 80 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 67.53 (2024)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 0.25 (2021)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

15.41 billion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is up 2,399% from 616.74 million in 1980 (7.96% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 15.41 billion in 2022 and the lowest 616.74 million in 1980.

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

In 2022, Qatar's military expenditure (current USD) rose 32.9% on 2021 (from 11.59 billion to 15.41 billion). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2021), the average change was +15.4% and a typical year strayed about 31.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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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