Data / Military expenditure / Malaysia

Military expenditure in Malaysia

Military expenditure in Malaysia was 1% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is unchanged from 2024. That is the 108th highest of 149 countries in 2025.

2025, % of GDP1
Change on 2024-0 pts
Rank108th of 149Countries ranked
Series high5.81981
Series low0.92019

Military expenditure in Malaysia, 1960 to 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

0123456196019701980199020002010202020251960: 2.7 % of GDP1961: 2.2 % of GDP1962: 2.2 % of GDP1963: 2.4 % of GDP1964: 3.2 % of GDP1965: 4 % of GDP1966: 4.7 % of GDP1967: 4.5 % of GDP1968: 4.5 % of GDP1969: 3.9 % of GDP1970: 5.2 % of GDP1971: 5.4 % of GDP1972: 5 % of GDP1973: 3.9 % of GDP1974: 4.2 % of GDP1975: 4.7 % of GDP1976: 4 % of GDP1977: 4.9 % of GDP1978: 3.7 % of GDP1979: 3.7 % of GDP1980: 4.2 % of GDP1981: 5.8 % of GDP1982: 5.4 % of GDP1983: 4.4 % of GDP1984: 3.8 % of GDP1985: 3.5 % of GDP1986: 3.2 % of GDP1987: 4.1 % of GDP1988: 2.4 % of GDP1989: 2.6 % of GDP1990: 2.6 % of GDP1991: 3.2 % of GDP1992: 3 % of GDP1993: 2.9 % of GDP1994: 2.8 % of GDP1995: 2.8 % of GDP1996: 2.4 % of GDP1997: 2.1 % of GDP1998: 1.6 % of GDP1999: 2.1 % of GDP2000: 1.6 % of GDP2001: 2.1 % of GDP2002: 2.2 % of GDP2003: 2.6 % of GDP2004: 2.3 % of GDP2005: 2.2 % of GDP2006: 2 % of GDP2007: 2 % of GDP2008: 1.8 % of GDP2009: 1.9 % of GDP2010: 1.5 % of GDP2011: 1.6 % of GDP2012: 1.4 % of GDP2013: 1.5 % of GDP2014: 1.5 % of GDP2015: 1.5 % of GDP2016: 1.4 % of GDP2017: 1.1 % of GDP2018: 1 % of GDP2019: 0.9 % of GDP2020: 1 % of GDP2021: 1 % of GDP2022: 0.9 % of GDP2023: 1 % of GDP2024: 1 % of GDP2025: 1 % of GDP
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09, published 2026-10-08.
All 66 values
Period% of GDP
20251
20241
20231
20220.9
20211
20201
20190.9
20181
20171.1
20161.4
20151.5
20141.5
20131.5
20121.4
20111.6
20101.5
20091.9
20081.8
20072
20062
20052.2
20042.3
20032.6
20022.2
20012.1
20001.6
19992.1
19981.6
19972.1
19962.4
19952.8
19942.8
19932.9
19923
19913.2
19902.6
19892.6
19882.4
19874.1
19863.2
19853.5
19843.8
19834.4
19825.4
19815.8
19804.2
19793.7
19783.7
19774.9
19764
19754.7
19744.2
19733.9
19725
19715.4
19705.2
19693.9
19684.5
19674.5
19664.7
19654
19643.2
19632.4
19622.2
19612.2
19602.7

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 Malaysia?

Military expenditure in Malaysia was 1% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is unchanged from 2024. That is the 108th 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 Malaysia?

5.8% of GDP in 1981, the highest value since 1960 in this series.

More statistics for Malaysia

All statistics for Malaysia