Sub-Saharan Africa: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)

Key figures

Since 2000 it is down 2.39 percentage points from 7.62% in 2000. The World Bank has no value for 10 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 0.1 percentage points on 2024 (from 5.13% to 5.23%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was −0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 0.3 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.53 percentage points in 2003. 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 0.05 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 34% of the movement over 8 observed 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 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 16 values

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

• Afghanistan — 4.97% (2020)
• Algeria — 24.57% (2025)
• Bahrain — 10.8% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2.45% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 11.16% (2025)
• Iraq — 5.53% (2025)
• Israel — 17.83% (2025)
• Jordan — 13.53% (2025)
• Kuwait — 10.09% (2025)

More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 23.28 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.13% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 583 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 1.73 million (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.38% (2020)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.03 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.09 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3.2 (2025)
• CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high)

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Questions people ask

What is Sub-Saharan Africa's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)?

5.23% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 2.39 percentage points from 7.62% in 2000. The highest value was 7.78% in 2002 and the lowest 4.84% in 2021.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) unusual for Sub-Saharan Africa?

In 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 0.1 percentage points on 2024 (from 5.13% to 5.23%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was −0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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.

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