Brunei vs Malaysia

Brunei vs Malaysia: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending: 12.2% of government spending in Brunei in 2024 and 4.4% of government spending in Malaysia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Brunei, by 7.8 percentage points, or 2.8 times that in Malaysia.

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% of government spending · SIPRI

Brunei vs Malaysia: Military share of state spendingMilitary share of state spending: 12.2% of government spending in Brunei in 2024 and 4.4% of government spending in Malaysia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Brunei, by 7.8 percentage points, or 2.8 times that in Malaysia.
BruneiMalaysia

What the numbers say

  • Brunei has been higher since 2006, when it overtook Malaysia.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

YearBruneiMalaysia
2025–4.4
202412.24.3
202310.13.9
20229.93.7
202111.14
202010.94
20199.53.8
20188.24.2
20177.85
201696.1
20158.56.1
20149.15.5
20136.85.4
201275
20117.55.7
20107.95.6
20098.46.1
20088.46.8
20078.17.6
20068.27.5
20058.18.5
20046.98
200310.88.6
20028.47.5
20019.96.8
20009.85.9
199910.17.8
199812.16.4
199713.49.1
199612.49.8
19959.111.2
19949.311.2
19931110.7
199213.49.7
199115.210.7
199014.77.8
198912.5–
198813.2–

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.
  • 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

Brunei vs Malaysia

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