Countries in Africa by military spending
Military expenditure as a share of GDP, from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: armed forces, defence ministries, military aid and the paramilitary forces trained for military operations. 50 countries in Africa, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2025
Median country
1.3%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of GDP | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Algeria | 8.8% | 2025 | Northern Africa |
| 2 |  Mali | 3.9% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 3 |  Libya | 3.6% | 2023 | Northern Africa |
| 4 |  Morocco | 3.5% | 2025 | Northern Africa |
| 5 |  South Sudan | 3.4% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 6 |  Burkina Faso | 3.3% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 7 |  Burundi | 3.2% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 8 |  Chad | 3.2% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| 9 |  Botswana | 3.1% | 2025 | Southern Africa |
| 10 |  Namibia | 2.8% | 2025 | Southern Africa |
| 11 |  Mauritania | 2.8% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 12 |  Tunisia | 2.5% | 2025 | Northern Africa |
| 13 |  Central African Republic | 2.3% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| 14 |  Niger | 2.1% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 15 |  Guinea | 2.0% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 16 |  Uganda | 2.0% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| =17 |  Mozambique | 1.9% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| =17 |  Togo | 1.9% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 19 |  Gabon | 1.7% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| 20 |  Lesotho | 1.6% | 2025 | Southern Africa |
| 21 |  Eswatini | 1.6% | 2025 | Southern Africa |
| 22 |  Senegal | 1.6% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 23 |  Somalia | 1.5% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 24 |  Angola | 1.4% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| 25 |  DR Congo | 1.4% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| 26 |  Congo | 1.3% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| 27 |  Rwanda | 1.3% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 28 |  Zambia | 1.3% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 29 |  Seychelles | 1.2% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 30 |  Tanzania | 1.2% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 31 |  Malawi | 1.1% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 32 |  Kenya | 1.1% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 33 |  Cameroon | 1.1% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| 34 |  Sudan | 0.9% | 2021 | Northern Africa |
| 35 |  Nigeria | 0.9% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 36 |  Equatorial Guinea | 0.9% | 2025 | Middle Africa |
| =37 |  Benin | 0.9% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| =37 |  Guinea-Bissau | 0.9% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 39 |  Liberia | 0.8% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 40 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 0.8% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 41 |  South Africa | 0.7% | 2025 | Southern Africa |
| 42 |  Cabo Verde | 0.7% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 43 |  Madagascar | 0.6% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 44 |  Egypt | 0.6% | 2025 | Northern Africa |
| 45 |  Gambia | 0.6% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 46 |  Zimbabwe | 0.6% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 47 |  Ethiopia | 0.5% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
| 48 |  Ghana | 0.5% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 49 |  Sierra Leone | 0.4% | 2025 | Western Africa |
| 50 |  Mauritius | 0.1% | 2025 | Eastern Africa |
No World Bank figure for 4 countries: Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, São Tomé and Principe.
Questions
- Which country in Africa has the highest military spending?
- Algeria has the highest military spending in Africa: 8.8% of GDP (2025). Next come Mali (3.9% of GDP) and Libya (3.6% of GDP).
- Which country in Africa has the lowest military spending?
- Mauritius, with 0.1% of GDP (2025).
- What is the typical military spending of a country in Africa?
- The median of the 50 countries in Africa is 1.3% of GDP: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- Military expenditure as a share of GDP, from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: armed forces, defence ministries, military aid and the paramilitary forces trained for military operations. Source: World Bank, mostly 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.