Data / Military expenditure / Iran

Military expenditure in Iran

Military expenditure in Iran was 2.1% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is down 0.1 pts from 2024. That is the 53rd highest of 149 countries in 2025.

2025, % of GDP2.1
Change on 2024-0.1 pts
Rank53rd of 149Countries ranked
Series high12.11975
Series low1.71993

Military expenditure in Iran, 1960 to 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

02.557.51012.5196019701980199020002010202020251960: 2.3 % of GDP1961: 2.3 % of GDP1962: 2.3 % of GDP1963: 2.6 % of GDP1964: 2.9 % of GDP1965: 3.2 % of GDP1966: 3.8 % of GDP1967: 4.5 % of GDP1968: 5.2 % of GDP1969: 6 % of GDP1970: 5.9 % of GDP1971: 3 % of GDP1972: 2.3 % of GDP1973: 1.9 % of GDP1974: 8.8 % of GDP1975: 12.1 % of GDP1976: 11.2 % of GDP1977: 10.2 % of GDP1978: 11.1 % of GDP1979: 5.8 % of GDP1980: 5.3 % of GDP1981: 8.2 % of GDP1982: 7.9 % of GDP1983: 7.1 % of GDP1984: 6.4 % of GDP1985: 6.5 % of GDP1986: 6.1 % of GDP1987: 5.9 % of GDP1988: 6.3 % of GDP1989: 4.6 % of GDP1990: 2.9 % of GDP1991: 2.2 % of GDP1992: 1.8 % of GDP1993: 1.7 % of GDP1994: 2.1 % of GDP1995: 2.2 % of GDP1996: 2.2 % of GDP1997: 2.5 % of GDP1998: 2.6 % of GDP1999: 2.4 % of GDP2000: 2.3 % of GDP2001: 2.4 % of GDP2002: 2.2 % of GDP2003: 2.4 % of GDP2004: 2.8 % of GDP2005: 3 % of GDP2006: 3.3 % of GDP2007: 2.7 % of GDP2008: 2.7 % of GDP2009: 3 % of GDP2010: 2.8 % of GDP2011: 2.4 % of GDP2012: 2.7 % of GDP2013: 2.2 % of GDP2014: 2.1 % of GDP2015: 2.6 % of GDP2016: 2.8 % of GDP2017: 2.8 % of GDP2018: 2.4 % of GDP2019: 2.1 % of GDP2020: 2.2 % of GDP2021: 2.3 % of GDP2022: 2.2 % of GDP2023: 2.5 % of GDP2024: 2.2 % of GDP2025: 2.1 % of GDP
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09, published 2026-10-08.
All 66 values
Period% of GDP
20252.1
20242.2
20232.5
20222.2
20212.3
20202.2
20192.1
20182.4
20172.8
20162.8
20152.6
20142.1
20132.2
20122.7
20112.4
20102.8
20093
20082.7
20072.7
20063.3
20053
20042.8
20032.4
20022.2
20012.4
20002.3
19992.4
19982.6
19972.5
19962.2
19952.2
19942.1
19931.7
19921.8
19912.2
19902.9
19894.6
19886.3
19875.9
19866.1
19856.5
19846.4
19837.1
19827.9
19818.2
19805.3
19795.8
197811.1
197710.2
197611.2
197512.1
19748.8
19731.9
19722.3
19713
19705.9
19696
19685.2
19674.5
19663.8
19653.2
19642.9
19632.6
19622.3
19612.3
19602.3

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 Iran?

Military expenditure in Iran was 2.1% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is down 0.1 pts from 2024. That is the 53rd highest of 149 countries in 2025.

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 Iran?

12.1% of GDP in 1975, the highest value since 1960 in this series.

More statistics for Iran

All statistics for Iran