Kenya vs Rwanda
Kenya vs Rwanda: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 1.07% of GDP in Kenya and 1.29% of GDP in Rwanda, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Rwanda, by 0.22 percentage points, or 1.2 times that in Kenya.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Rwanda has been higher since 2017, when it overtook Kenya.
- In 2025, Kenya ranked 105 and Rwanda ranked 97 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Kenya | Rwanda |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.07 | 1.29 |
| 2024 | 1.04 | 1.23 |
| 2023 | 0.98 | 1.25 |
| 2022 | 1.01 | 1.33 |
| 2021 | 1.08 | 1.51 |
| 2020 | 1.11 | 1.47 |
| 2019 | 1.11 | 1.2 |
| 2018 | 1.21 | 1.24 |
| 2017 | 1.24 | 1.25 |
| 2016 | 1.25 | 1.24 |
| 2015 | 1.2 | 1.21 |
| 2014 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| 2013 | 1.4 | 1.06 |
| 2012 | 1.49 | 1.04 |
| 2011 | 1.38 | 1.1 |
| 2010 | 1.37 | 1.22 |
| 2009 | 1.37 | 1.33 |
| 2008 | 1.62 | 1.31 |
| 2007 | 1.55 | 1.37 |
| 2006 | 1.46 | 1.64 |
| 2005 | 1.69 | 1.74 |
| 2004 | 1.61 | 1.97 |
| 2003 | 1.65 | 2.45 |
| 2002 | 1.63 | 3.05 |
| 2001 | 1.51 | 3.4 |
| 2000 | 1.31 | 3.54 |
| 1999 | 1.19 | 4.45 |
| 1998 | 1.22 | 4.38 |
| 1997 | 1.34 | 4.17 |
| 1996 | 1.42 | 5.33 |
| 1995 | 1.65 | 0.61 |
| 1994 | 1.64 | 3.44 |
| 1993 | 1.84 | 4.54 |
| 1992 | 1.9 | 4.29 |
| 1991 | 2.35 | 5.51 |
| 1990 | 2.89 | 3.73 |
| 1989 | 2.74 | 1.75 |
| 1988 | 2.95 | 1.59 |
| 1987 | 3.13 | 1.68 |
| 1986 | 2.5 | 1.8 |
| 1985 | 2.38 | 1.59 |
| 1984 | 3.48 | 1.6 |
| 1983 | 4.2 | 1.9 |
| 1982 | 4.57 | 2 |
| 1981 | 4.23 | 2.04 |
| 1980 | 4.52 | 1.88 |
| 1979 | 5.5 | 1.75 |
| 1978 | 5.2 | 1.59 |
| 1977 | 3.74 | 2.15 |
| 1976 | 2.49 | 1.61 |
| 1975 | 1.88 | 1.63 |
| 1974 | 1.78 | 1.47 |
| 1973 | 1.66 | 1.89 |
| 1972 | 1.54 | – |
| 1971 | 1.23 | – |
| 1970 | 1.06 | – |
| 1969 | 1.08 | – |
| 1968 | 1.22 | – |
| 1967 | 1.31 | – |
| 1966 | 1.13 | – |
| 1965 | 0.99 | – |
| 1964 | 0.59 | – |
| 1963 | 0.21 | – |
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.
- 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
Kenya vs Rwanda
Health
- Life expectancyKenya: 63.7 years in 2023Rwanda: 67.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKenya: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024Rwanda: 3.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKenya: 29.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Rwanda: 27.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKenya: 3.51% in 2017Rwanda: 3.87% in 2017
- Suicide rateKenya: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Rwanda: 11 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKenya: 55.3 million people in 2023Rwanda: 14 million people in 2023
- Population growthKenya: 1.97% a year in 2023Rwanda: 2.18% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKenya: 3.21 births per woman in 2023Rwanda: 3.7 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKenya: 32.2% in 2025Rwanda: 30.9% in 2025
- Median ageKenya: 19.5 years in 2023Rwanda: 19.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKenya: 2.9% in 2023Rwanda: 3.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateKenya: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Rwanda: -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsKenya: $1.36B in 2025Rwanda: $194M in 2025
- Military spending per personKenya: $26 in 2025Rwanda: $13 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKenya: 4.6% of government spending in 2025Rwanda: 4.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelKenya: 24,000 people in 2020Rwanda: 35,000 people in 2020
- National powerKenya: 0.23% of world capability in 2022Rwanda: 0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKenya: 0.11% of the labour force in 2020Rwanda: 0.7% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKenya: 117 million TIV in 2025Rwanda: 37 million TIV in 2023