Afghanistan vs Pakistan

Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Military spending

Military spending: 1.83% of GDP in Afghanistan in 2021 and 2.91% of GDP in Pakistan in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Pakistan, by 1.56 percentage points, or 1.85 times that in Afghanistan.

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% of GDP · SIPRI

Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Military spendingMilitary spending: 1.83% of GDP in Afghanistan in 2021 and 2.91% of GDP in Pakistan in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Pakistan, by 1.56 percentage points, or 1.85 times that in Afghanistan.
AfghanistanPakistanSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • Pakistan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1970.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearAfghanistanPakistan
2025–2.91
2024–2.73
2023–2.89
2022–3.18
20211.833.39
20201.363.49
20191.173.51
20181.013.59
20170.953.36
20160.963.2
20150.993.16
20141.33.1
20131.083.09
20121.183.1
20111.822.92
20101.953.04
20092.093.27
20082.343.46
20072.573.51
20061.93.65
20051.993.9
20042.433.96
2003–4.09
2002–4.07
2001–3.88
2000–4.17
1999–5.19
1998–5.42
1997–5.62
1996–6.04
1995–5.82
1994–5.92
1993–6.43
1992–6.7
1991–6.57
1990–6.52
1989–6.53
1988–6.79
1987–6.97
1986–6.99
1985–6.92
1984–6.66
1983–6.64
1982–6.38
1981–5.71
1980–5.52
1979–5.45
1978–5.5
19772.015.55
19762.055.89
19751.726.32
19741.616.09
19731.876.21
1972–6.87
1971–6.74
19701.636.16
1969–5.51
1968–5.1
1967–5.41
1966–6.73
1965–5.91
1964–3.87
1963–3.65
1962–3.66
1961–4.1
1960–4.31
1959–4.34
1958–4.25
1957–4.17
1956–5.03
1955–5.57
1954–5.35
1953–6.32
  • 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

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