Data / Military expenditure / South Africa

Military expenditure in South Africa

Military expenditure in South Africa was 0.7% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is unchanged from 2024. That is the 126th highest of 149 countries in 2025.

2025, % of GDP0.7
Change on 2024-0 pts
Rank126th of 149Countries ranked
Series high5.31977
Series low0.72025

Military expenditure in South Africa, 1960 to 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

0123456196019701980199020002010202020251960: 1 % of GDP1961: 1.5 % of GDP1962: 2.3 % of GDP1963: 2.1 % of GDP1964: 2.7 % of GDP1965: 2.6 % of GDP1966: 2.7 % of GDP1967: 2.8 % of GDP1968: 2.8 % of GDP1969: 2.6 % of GDP1970: 2.3 % of GDP1971: 2.5 % of GDP1972: 2.4 % of GDP1973: 2.6 % of GDP1974: 3.1 % of GDP1975: 3.9 % of GDP1976: 4.7 % of GDP1977: 5.3 % of GDP1978: 4.6 % of GDP1979: 3.9 % of GDP1980: 3.3 % of GDP1981: 3.6 % of GDP1982: 3.6 % of GDP1983: 3.6 % of GDP1984: 3.7 % of GDP1985: 3.7 % of GDP1986: 3.8 % of GDP1987: 4.2 % of GDP1988: 4.6 % of GDP1989: 4.4 % of GDP1990: 3.9 % of GDP1991: 3.2 % of GDP1992: 2.8 % of GDP1993: 2.5 % of GDP1994: 2.6 % of GDP1995: 2.1 % of GDP1996: 1.8 % of GDP1997: 1.6 % of GDP1998: 1.4 % of GDP1999: 1.3 % of GDP2000: 1.4 % of GDP2001: 1.5 % of GDP2002: 1.5 % of GDP2003: 1.5 % of GDP2004: 1.4 % of GDP2005: 1.2 % of GDP2006: 1.2 % of GDP2007: 1.1 % of GDP2008: 1 % of GDP2009: 1.1 % of GDP2010: 1 % of GDP2011: 1 % of GDP2012: 1 % of GDP2013: 1 % of GDP2014: 1 % of GDP2015: 1 % of GDP2016: 1 % of GDP2017: 0.9 % of GDP2018: 0.9 % of GDP2019: 0.9 % of GDP2020: 1 % of GDP2021: 0.8 % of GDP2022: 0.8 % of GDP2023: 0.8 % of GDP2024: 0.8 % of GDP2025: 0.7 % of GDP
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09, published 2026-10-08.
All 66 values
Period% of GDP
20250.7
20240.8
20230.8
20220.8
20210.8
20201
20190.9
20180.9
20170.9
20161
20151
20141
20131
20121
20111
20101
20091.1
20081
20071.1
20061.2
20051.2
20041.4
20031.5
20021.5
20011.5
20001.4
19991.3
19981.4
19971.6
19961.8
19952.1
19942.6
19932.5
19922.8
19913.2
19903.9
19894.4
19884.6
19874.2
19863.8
19853.7
19843.7
19833.6
19823.6
19813.6
19803.3
19793.9
19784.6
19775.3
19764.7
19753.9
19743.1
19732.6
19722.4
19712.5
19702.3
19692.6
19682.8
19672.8
19662.7
19652.6
19642.7
19632.1
19622.3
19611.5
19601

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 South Africa?

Military expenditure in South Africa was 0.7% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is unchanged from 2024. That is the 126th 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 South Africa?

5.3% of GDP in 1977, the highest value since 1960 in this series.

More statistics for South Africa

All statistics for South Africa