Upper middle income: Military expenditure (current USD)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Upper middle income's military expenditure (current USD) rose 10.3% on 2024 (from 561.79 billion to 619.58 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.3% and a typical year strayed about 6.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 22.3% in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 21.1% in 1993. 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 29.79 billion a year. A straight line explains 92% 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

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 37 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 Upper middle income

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 7.32 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.87% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 9.92 million (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.67% (2020)
• Interest payments (% of revenue) — 10.36% (2024)
• Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 2.82% (2024)
• Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue) — 24.15% (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 35.06% (2024)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Upper middle income's military expenditure (current USD)?

619.58 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is up 1,002% from 56.23 billion in 1989 (6.89% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 619.58 billion in 2025 and the lowest 51.09 billion in 1993.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (current USD) unusual for Upper middle income?

In 2025, Upper middle income's military expenditure (current USD) rose 10.3% on 2024 (from 561.79 billion to 619.58 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.3% and a typical year strayed about 6.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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?

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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