Ukraine's military expenditure (% of GDP) was 39.56% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 35.71 percentage points from 3.85% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 39.56% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 4.4% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 3.85% | 2015 |
| Highest | 39.56% | 2025 |
| Lowest | 0.43% | 1993 |
| Average since 2016 | 15.76% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 0.43% | 1993 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Ukraine's military expenditure (% of GDP) rose 5.6 percentage points on 2024 (from 33.96% to 39.56%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.47 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 22.22 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.08 percentage points in 2024. 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 upward, about 4.63 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 78% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Ukraine had the 1st highest value of the 150 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 39.56% | 2025 |
| World | 2.48% | 2025 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 2.83% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 1.87% | 2025 |
Closest to Ukraine in the 2025 ranking
- Algeria — 2nd of 150: 8.83%
- Israel — 3rd of 150: 7.81%
- Russian Federation — 4th of 150: 7.5%
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 33 values
| Year | Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 39.56 |
| 2024 | 33.96 |
| 2023 | 36.03 |
| 2022 | 25.64 |
| 2021 | 3.43 |
| 2020 | 4.4 |
| 2019 | 4.07 |
| 2018 | 3.64 |
| 2017 | 3.24 |
| 2016 | 3.67 |
| 2015 |
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in nearby economies
More public sector data for Ukraine
- Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 120 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 84.11 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 3.51 trillion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 62.9% (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 298,000 (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.43% (2020)
- Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 3.78 (2021)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 39.09 billion (2024)
- Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 0.51% (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Ukraine's military expenditure (% of GDP)?
- 39.56% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1993?
- It is up 39.13 percentage points from 0.43% in 1993. The highest value was 39.56% in 2025 and the lowest 0.43% in 1993.
- How does Ukraine rank?
- 1st highest of 150 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (% of GDP) unusual for Ukraine?
- In 2025, Ukraine's military expenditure (% of GDP) rose 5.6 percentage points on 2024 (from 33.96% to 39.56%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.47 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
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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