Ukraine: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Ukraine's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 15.26 percentage points on 2024 (from 47.64% to 62.9%).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2024), the average change was +1.41 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.04 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 30.75 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.07 percentage points in 2001. 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 6.38 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 2nd 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 Ukraine in the 2025 ranking

• Algeria — 2nd of 149: 24.57%
• Saudi Arabia — 3rd of 149: 23.53%
• Somalia, Fed. Rep. — 4th of 149: 20.8%

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 31 values

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

• Albania — 6.71% (2025)
• Armenia — 19.89% (2025)
• Austria — 2% (2025)
• Azerbaijan — 17.68% (2025)
• Belarus — 5.71% (2025)
• Belgium — 3.67% (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 1.56% (2025)
• Bulgaria — 5.2% (2025)
• Croatia — 4.14% (2025)

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 GDP) — 39.56% (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)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

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

62.9% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is up 56.28 percentage points from 6.62% in 1995. The highest value was 62.9% in 2025 and the lowest 4.81% in 2012.

How does Ukraine rank?

2nd highest of 149 economies with data for 2025.

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

In 2025, Ukraine's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 15.26 percentage points on 2024 (from 47.64% to 62.9%). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2024), the average change was +1.41 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.04 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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