Brunei vs Malaysia
Brunei vs Malaysia: Military spending per person
Military spending per person: $1,216 in Brunei in 2024 and $138 in Malaysia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Brunei, by $1,092, or 9.81 times that in Malaysia.
US dollars per person · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Brunei has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1988.
Every year
US dollars per person · SIPRI
| Year | Brunei | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | $138 |
| 2024 | $1,216 | $124 |
| 2023 | $983 | $112 |
| 2022 | $961 | $107 |
| 2021 | $1,008 | $108 |
| 2020 | $981 | $100 |
| 2019 | $942 | $98 |
| 2018 | $822 | $106 |
| 2017 | $806 | $109 |
| 2016 | $949 | $132 |
| 2015 | $1,011 | $146 |
| 2014 | $1,275 | $162 |
| 2013 | $1,009 | $164 |
| 2012 | $1,021 | $153 |
| 2011 | $1,049 | $162 |
| 2010 | $1,005 | $136 |
| 2009 | $917 | $142 |
| 2008 | $967 | $162 |
| 2007 | $879 | $149 |
| 2006 | $811 | $125 |
| 2005 | $698 | $122 |
| 2004 | $570 | $113 |
| 2003 | $709 | $118 |
| 2002 | $672 | $94 |
| 2001 | $660 | $83 |
| 2000 | $756 | $68 |
| 1999 | $818 | $75 |
| 1998 | $952 | $54 |
| 1997 | $1,223 | $99 |
| 1996 | $1,114 | $118 |
| 1995 | $993 | $122 |
| 1994 | $934 | $108 |
| 1993 | $856 | $101 |
| 1992 | $945 | $95 |
| 1991 | $948 | $87 |
| 1990 | $919 | $64 |
| 1989 | $761 | $60 |
| 1988 | $752 | $52 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence for each person living there, in US dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- 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
Brunei vs Malaysia
Health
- Life expectancyBrunei: 75.3 years in 2023Malaysia: 76.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBrunei: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Malaysia: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBrunei: 8.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Malaysia: 6.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBrunei: 2.56% in 2017Malaysia: 3.52% in 2017
- Suicide rateBrunei: 6.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Malaysia: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBrunei: 458,900 people in 2023Malaysia: 35.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthBrunei: 0.84% a year in 2023Malaysia: 1.24% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBrunei: 1.75 births per woman in 2023Malaysia: 1.55 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBrunei: 75% in 2025Malaysia: 77.4% in 2025
- Median ageBrunei: 31.8 years in 2023Malaysia: 30.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBrunei: 6.5% in 2023Malaysia: 7.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateBrunei: 0 per 1,000 people in 2023Malaysia: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBrunei: 3.65% of GDP in 2024Malaysia: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBrunei: $560M in 2024Malaysia: $4.55B in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBrunei: 12.2% of government spending in 2024Malaysia: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBrunei: 8,000 people in 2020Malaysia: 136,000 people in 2020
- National powerBrunei: 0.02% of world capability in 2022Malaysia: 0.46% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBrunei: 3.57% of the labour force in 2020Malaysia: 0.81% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBrunei: 28 million TIV in 2024Malaysia: 7 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsBrunei: 12 million TIV in 2016Malaysia: 20 million TIV in 2024