Egypt vs South Africa

Egypt vs South Africa: Military spending

Military spending in 2025: 0.61% of GDP in Egypt and 0.74% of GDP in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 0.13 percentage points, or 1.22 times that in Egypt.

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% of GDP · SIPRI

Egypt vs South Africa: Military spendingMilitary spending in 2025: 0.61% of GDP in Egypt and 0.74% of GDP in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 0.13 percentage points, or 1.22 times that in Egypt.
EgyptSouth AfricaSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • South Africa has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Egypt.
  • In 2025, Egypt ranked 133 and South Africa ranked 128 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearEgyptSouth Africa
20250.610.74
20240.670.76
20230.810.8
20221.020.85
20211.120.84
20201.120.96
20191.180.88
20181.250.89
20171.420.94
20161.670.97
20151.721.01
20141.691.02
20131.611.03
20121.651.03
20111.841
20101.951
20092.031.09
20082.181.04
20072.381.06
20062.611.15
20052.711.24
20042.881.36
20033.181.47
20023.281.53
20012.991.48
20002.551.39
19992.571.27
19982.661.38
19972.841.58
19962.981.76
19953.082.12
19943.152.56
19933.12.5
19923.222.82
19913.613.22
19903.473.9
19893.974.36
19885.064.62
19876.534.19
19867.53.82
19857.863.7
19848.273.7
19837.963.61
19827.193.61
19817.423.64
19806.163.31
19796.473.86
19789.944.56
197713.115.26
197613.734.73
197515.433.88
197417.273.09
197313.512.65
197213.562.37
197117.192.46
197015.992.33
196914.342.61
196811.132.76
19678.912.79
19668.722.71
196510.122.63
196410.332.7
19638.672.07
19626.682.26
1961–1.47
1960–0.95
1959–0.88
1958–0.98
1957–1.3
1956–1.29
1955–1.22
1954–1.2
1953–1.35
1952–1.74
1951–1.62
  • 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

Egypt vs South Africa

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