Afghanistan vs Pakistan
Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending: 5% of government spending in Afghanistan in 2020 and 13.8% of government spending in Pakistan in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Pakistan, by 12.2 percentage points, or 3.45 times that in Afghanistan.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Pakistan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2004.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 13.8 |
| 2024 | – | 14 |
| 2023 | – | 15 |
| 2022 | – | 15.9 |
| 2021 | – | 18.4 |
| 2020 | 5 | 17.2 |
| 2019 | 4.3 | 18.4 |
| 2018 | 3.7 | 18.8 |
| 2017 | 3.7 | 17.6 |
| 2016 | 3.7 | 18.1 |
| 2015 | 3.8 | 18 |
| 2014 | 5.1 | 17.3 |
| 2013 | 4.3 | 15.9 |
| 2012 | 4.7 | 16.1 |
| 2011 | 8.3 | 17 |
| 2010 | 9.4 | 16.8 |
| 2009 | 9.9 | 16.9 |
| 2008 | 11.2 | 16.1 |
| 2007 | 12 | 18 |
| 2006 | 10.4 | 21.4 |
| 2005 | 12.7 | 24.5 |
| 2004 | 16.1 | 26.1 |
| 2003 | – | 25.4 |
| 2002 | – | 22.6 |
| 2001 | – | 24 |
| 2000 | – | 22.4 |
| 1999 | – | 24 |
| 1998 | – | 23.5 |
| 1997 | – | 25 |
| 1996 | – | 24.6 |
| 1995 | – | 27.2 |
| 1994 | – | 27.4 |
| 1993 | – | 25.1 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, 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 150 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 Pakistan
Health
- Life expectancyAfghanistan: 66 years in 2023Pakistan: 67.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityAfghanistan: 5.3 per 100 live births in 2024Pakistan: 5.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 44 per 1,000 live births in 2023Pakistan: 49.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterAfghanistan: 30% in 2022Pakistan: 50.6% in 2022
- DepressionAfghanistan: 4.14% in 2017Pakistan: 3.33% in 2017
- Suicide rateAfghanistan: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Pakistan: 4.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationAfghanistan: 41.5 million people in 2023Pakistan: 248 million people in 2023
- Population growthAfghanistan: 2.85% a year in 2023Pakistan: 1.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateAfghanistan: 4.84 births per woman in 2023Pakistan: 3.61 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationAfghanistan: 25.9% in 2025Pakistan: 39.5% in 2025
- Median ageAfghanistan: 16.9 years in 2023Pakistan: 20.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overAfghanistan: 2.4% in 2023Pakistan: 4.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateAfghanistan: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Pakistan: -6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingAfghanistan: 1.83% of GDP in 2021Pakistan: 2.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsAfghanistan: $8.55M in 1977Pakistan: $11.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personAfghanistan: $7 in 2021Pakistan: $47 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelAfghanistan: 165,000 people in 2020Pakistan: 943,000 people in 2020
- National powerAfghanistan: 0.29% of world capability in 2022Pakistan: 1.77% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersAfghanistan: 1.82% of the labour force in 2020Pakistan: 1.25% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsAfghanistan: 65 million TIV in 2021Pakistan: 706 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsAfghanistan: 1 million TIV in 1992Pakistan: 127 million TIV in 2025