Singapore: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Singapore's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) fell 0.99 percentage points on 2024 (from 19% to 18.01%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.47 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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 8.79 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.27 percentage points in 2008. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 10% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Singapore had the 9th 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.

Closest to Singapore in the 2025 ranking

• Armenia — 6th of 149: 19.89%
• Russian Federation — 7th of 149: 19.83%
• South Sudan — 8th of 149: 18.38%
• Israel — 10th of 149: 17.83%
• Azerbaijan — 11th of 149: 17.68%
• Lebanon — 12th of 149: 16.63%

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 36 values

Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in nearby economies

• Australia — 4.89% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 12.15% (2024)
• Cambodia — 8.15% (2025)
• China — 5.12% (2025)
• Fiji — 4.17% (2025)
• Indonesia — 6.32% (2025)
• Japan — 3.81% (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 10.79% (2025)
• Malaysia — 4.43% (2025)

More public sector data for Singapore

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 57 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 17.44 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 22.79 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.05% (2025)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 66.75 billion (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 8.72% (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 31.9 billion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 23.51% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 135.7 billion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Singapore's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)?

18.01% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 11.9 percentage points from 29.92% in 1990. The highest value was 39.22% in 2007 and the lowest 11.38% in 2020.

How does Singapore rank?

9th highest of 149 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) unusual for Singapore?

In 2025, Singapore's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) fell 0.99 percentage points on 2024 (from 19% to 18.01%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.47 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.51 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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.

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