Afghanistan vs Iran

Afghanistan vs Iran: Military spending

Military spending: 1.83% of GDP in Afghanistan in 2021 and 2.09% of GDP in Iran in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Iran, by 0.49 percentage points, or 1.27 times that in Afghanistan.

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% of GDP · SIPRI

Afghanistan vs Iran: Military spendingMilitary spending: 1.83% of GDP in Afghanistan in 2021 and 2.09% of GDP in Iran in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Iran, by 0.49 percentage points, or 1.27 times that in Afghanistan.
AfghanistanIranSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • Iran has been higher since 1974, when it overtook Afghanistan.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearAfghanistanIran
2025–2.09
2024–2.22
2023–2.49
2022–2.24
20211.832.32
20201.362.18
20191.172.15
20181.012.36
20170.952.84
20160.962.8
20150.992.56
20141.32.12
20131.082.18
20121.182.69
20111.822.38
20101.952.79
20092.093.05
20082.342.68
20072.572.65
20061.93.32
20051.993.04
20042.432.84
2003–2.41
2002–2.18
2001–2.42
2000–2.3
1999–2.41
1998–2.63
1997–2.5
1996–2.25
1995–2.15
1994–2.07
1993–1.7
1992–1.79
1991–2.17
1990–2.94
1989–4.56
1988–6.27
1987–5.89
1986–6.08
1985–6.51
1984–6.36
1983–7.1
1982–7.91
1981–8.19
1980–5.34
1979–5.8
1978–11.11
19772.0110.19
19762.0511.25
19751.7212.07
19741.618.75
19731.871.87
1972–2.28
1971–3.05
19701.635.86
1969–5.97
1968–5.18
1967–4.46
1966–3.82
1965–3.25
1964–2.88
1963–2.59
1962–2.31
1961–2.35
1960–2.3
  • Estimate

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
  • Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
  • Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
  • Ranks count the 151 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Afghanistan vs Iran

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