Data / Military expenditure / Afghanistan

Military expenditure in Afghanistan

Military expenditure in Afghanistan was 1.8% of GDP in 2021, according to the World Bank. That is up 0.5 pts from 2020.

2021, % of GDP1.8
Change on 2020+0.5 pts
Series high2.62007
Series low0.92017

Military expenditure in Afghanistan, 1970 to 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

0.511.522.5319701976200620102014201820211970: 1.6 % of GDP1973: 1.9 % of GDP1974: 1.6 % of GDP1975: 1.7 % of GDP1976: 2 % of GDP1977: 2 % of GDP2004: 2.4 % of GDP2005: 2 % of GDP2006: 1.9 % of GDP2007: 2.6 % of GDP2008: 2.3 % of GDP2009: 2.1 % of GDP2010: 1.9 % of GDP2011: 1.8 % of GDP2012: 1.2 % of GDP2013: 1.1 % of GDP2014: 1.3 % of GDP2015: 1 % of GDP2016: 1 % of GDP2017: 0.9 % of GDP2018: 1 % of GDP2019: 1.2 % of GDP2020: 1.4 % of GDP2021: 1.8 % of GDP
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09, published 2026-10-08.
All 24 values
Period% of GDP
20211.8
20201.4
20191.2
20181
20170.9
20161
20151
20141.3
20131.1
20121.2
20111.8
20101.9
20092.1
20082.3
20072.6
20061.9
20052
20042.4
19772
19762
19751.7
19741.6
19731.9
19701.6

Rankings

Definition

Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP: current and capital spending on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces, defence ministries, paramilitary forces trained for military operations and military space activities. World Bank series from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

SIPRI definition, so values can differ from the NATO defence expenditure figures used for the 2% target.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators. Military expenditure, % of GDP (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

What is the military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan?

Military expenditure in Afghanistan was 1.8% of GDP in 2021, according to the World Bank. That is up 0.5 pts from 2020.

Where does this figure come from?

World Bank. Military expenditure, % of GDP (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-09.

What was the highest military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan?

2.6% of GDP in 2007, the highest value since 1970 in this series.

More statistics for Afghanistan

All statistics for Afghanistan