Ethiopia vs Zambia

Ethiopia vs Zambia: Military spending

Military spending in 2025: 0.49% of GDP in Ethiopia and 1.26% of GDP in Zambia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 0.77 percentage points, or 2.55 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · SIPRI

Ethiopia vs Zambia: Military spendingMilitary spending in 2025: 0.49% of GDP in Ethiopia and 1.26% of GDP in Zambia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 0.77 percentage points, or 2.55 times that in Ethiopia.
EthiopiaZambiaSIPRI estimateHighly uncertain

What the numbers say

  • Zambia has been higher since 2007, when it overtook Ethiopia.
  • In 2025, Ethiopia ranked 140 and Zambia ranked 98 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearEthiopiaZambia
20250.491.26
20240.491.33
20230.771.34
20220.861.12
20210.440.98
20200.471.17
20190.561.26
20180.631.44
20170.681.3
20160.681.43
20150.671.75
20140.731.63
20130.811.36
20120.871.36
20111.061.32
20101.111.38
20091.211.73
20081.532.08
20071.912.06
20062.311.74
20052.811.85
20043.131.58
20033.3–
20023.76–
20014.39–
20007.69–
19999.511.65
19987.28–
19973.341.01
19962.121.05
19952.231.45
19942.871.72
19933.071.43
19923.442.71
19915.712.34
19909.663.41
198910.284.2
19888.52.39
19876.863.22
19866.73.66
19856.822.36
19847.973
19837.18–
19827.54–
19817.54–
19808.71–
19796.89–
19784.81–
19773.97–
19764.13–
19754.49–
19742.8–
19731.93–
19721.94–
19711.91–
19701.88–
19692.02–
19682.2–
19672.49–
19663.11–
19653.23–
19642.92–
19632.43–
19621.93–
19611.86–
  • Estimate
  • Highly uncertain

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

Ethiopia vs Zambia

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