Iraq vs Syria
Iraq vs Syria: Military spending
Military spending: 2.45% of GDP in Iraq in 2025 and 4.06% of GDP in Syria in 2010, by SIPRI estimates. In 2010 the value was higher in Syria, by 1.35 percentage points, or 1.5 times that in Iraq.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Syria has been higher since 1972, when it overtook Iraq.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Iraq | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.45 | – |
| 2024 | 2.27 | – |
| 2023 | 2.26 | – |
| 2022 | 1.64 | – |
| 2021 | 2.26 | – |
| 2020 | 3.11 | – |
| 2019 | 3.24 | – |
| 2018 | 2.75 | – |
| 2017 | 3.91 | – |
| 2016 | 3.55 | – |
| 2015 | 5.41 | – |
| 2014 | 2.95 | – |
| 2013 | 3.32 | – |
| 2012 | 1.9 | – |
| 2011 | 2.3 | – |
| 2010 | 2.71 | 4.06 |
| 2009 | 2.9 | 4.03 |
| 2008 | 2.37 | 3.55 |
| 2007 | 2.24 | 4.1 |
| 2006 | 1.9 | 4.39 |
| 2005 | 2.24 | 5.03 |
| 2004 | 1.68 | 5.54 |
| 2003 | – | 6.25 |
| 2002 | – | 5.41 |
| 2001 | – | 5.48 |
| 2000 | – | 5.45 |
| 1999 | – | 5.81 |
| 1998 | – | 5.81 |
| 1997 | – | 5.88 |
| 1996 | – | 6.04 |
| 1995 | – | 6.95 |
| 1994 | – | 7.36 |
| 1993 | – | 7.24 |
| 1992 | – | 8.99 |
| 1991 | – | 10.43 |
| 1990 | – | 6.87 |
| 1989 | – | 7.97 |
| 1988 | – | 7.85 |
| 1987 | – | 11.22 |
| 1986 | – | 14.45 |
| 1985 | – | 16.56 |
| 1984 | – | 17.69 |
| 1983 | – | 14.64 |
| 1982 | – | 15.56 |
| 1981 | 10.83 | 14.55 |
| 1980 | 5.51 | 17.25 |
| 1979 | 6.15 | 15.93 |
| 1978 | 8.12 | 14.71 |
| 1977 | 9.81 | 14.5 |
| 1976 | 11.16 | 14.73 |
| 1975 | 11.67 | 15.95 |
| 1974 | 12.49 | 12.66 |
| 1973 | 12.26 | 15.07 |
| 1972 | 10.64 | 10.77 |
| 1971 | 10.52 | 8.44 |
| 1970 | 11.17 | 11.22 |
| 1969 | 11.38 | 10.83 |
| 1968 | 9.22 | 12.16 |
| 1967 | 8.43 | 8.21 |
| 1966 | 8.52 | 7.75 |
| 1965 | 8.87 | 8.88 |
| 1964 | 7.96 | 8.64 |
| 1963 | 8.25 | – |
| 1962 | 6.91 | 13.47 |
| 1961 | 6.85 | 9.55 |
| 1960 | 7.05 | 10.52 |
| 1959 | 6.71 | – |
| 1958 | 6.08 | – |
| 1957 | 6.54 | – |
- 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
Iraq vs Syria
Health
- Life expectancyIraq: 72.3 years in 2023Syria: 72.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIraq: 2.2 per 100 live births in 2024Syria: 1.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIraq: 19 per 1,000 live births in 2023Syria: 16.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIraq: 3.89% in 2017Syria: 3.58% in 2017
- Suicide rateIraq: 4.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Syria: 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIraq: 45.1 million people in 2023Syria: 23.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthIraq: 2.15% a year in 2023Syria: 4.92% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIraq: 3.25 births per woman in 2023Syria: 2.71 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIraq: 69.9% in 2025Syria: 72.1% in 2025
- Median ageIraq: 20.4 years in 2023Syria: 22.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIraq: 3.4% in 2023Syria: 4.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateIraq: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Syria: 32.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending per personIraq: $139 in 2025Syria: $110 in 2011
- Military share of state spendingIraq: 5.5% of government spending in 2025Syria: 13.6% of government spending in 2010
- Armed forces personnelIraq: 459,000 people in 2020Syria: 269,000 people in 2020
- National powerIraq: 0.54% of world capability in 2022Syria: 0.29% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIraq: 4.4% of the labour force in 2020Syria: 5.44% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIraq: 55 million TIV in 2025Syria: 2 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIraq: 20 million TIV in 1989Syria: 30 million TIV in 2010