Malawi vs Somalia
Malawi vs Somalia: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 1.15% of GDP in Malawi and 1.54% of GDP in Somalia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Somalia, by 0.4 percentage points, or 1.35 times that in Malawi.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Somalia has been higher since 2014, when it overtook Malawi.
- In 2025, Malawi ranked 102 and Somalia ranked 83 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Malawi | Somalia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.15 | 1.54 |
| 2024 | 1.06 | 1.66 |
| 2023 | 1.17 | 1.27 |
| 2022 | 0.93 | 1.16 |
| 2021 | 0.73 | 1.17 |
| 2020 | 0.83 | 1.14 |
| 2019 | 0.76 | 0.83 |
| 2018 | 0.59 | 0.97 |
| 2017 | 0.53 | 0.75 |
| 2016 | 0.45 | 0.65 |
| 2015 | 0.45 | 0.68 |
| 2014 | 0.58 | 0.94 |
| 2013 | 0.81 | 0.44 |
| 2012 | 0.54 | – |
| 2011 | 0.47 | – |
| 2010 | 0.51 | – |
| 2009 | 0.67 | – |
| 2008 | 0.59 | – |
| 2007 | 0.54 | – |
| 2006 | 0.55 | – |
| 2005 | 0.74 | – |
| 2004 | 0.45 | – |
| 2003 | 0.29 | – |
| 2002 | 0.3 | – |
| 2001 | 0.3 | – |
| 2000 | 0.28 | – |
| 1999 | 0.33 | – |
| 1998 | 0.34 | – |
| 1997 | 0.41 | – |
| 1996 | 0.36 | – |
| 1995 | 0.32 | – |
| 1994 | 0.58 | – |
| 1993 | 0.51 | – |
| 1992 | 0.57 | – |
| 1991 | 0.44 | – |
| 1990 | 0.58 | – |
| 1989 | 0.61 | 1.53 |
| 1988 | 0.62 | 17.44 |
| 1987 | 0.76 | 16.96 |
| 1986 | 0.86 | 28.95 |
| 1985 | 0.72 | 0.05 |
| 1984 | 0.64 | 0.14 |
| 1983 | 0.74 | 0.24 |
| 1982 | 0.94 | 0.29 |
| 1981 | 1.27 | 0.61 |
| 1980 | 1.76 | 0.55 |
| 1979 | 4.07 | 0.97 |
| 1978 | 2.7 | 1 |
| 1977 | 1.69 | 0.46 |
| 1976 | 1.37 | 0.52 |
| 1975 | 1.53 | 0.52 |
| 1974 | 0.97 | 0.73 |
| 1973 | 1.06 | 0.51 |
| 1972 | 0.6 | 0.45 |
| 1971 | 0.58 | 0.48 |
| 1970 | 0.64 | 0.5 |
| 1969 | 0.67 | 0.42 |
| 1968 | 0.7 | 0.41 |
| 1967 | 0.72 | 0.39 |
| 1966 | 0.65 | 0.35 |
| 1965 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 1964 | – | 0.33 |
| 1963 | – | 0.29 |
| 1962 | – | 0.25 |
| 1961 | – | 0.23 |
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
Malawi vs Somalia
Health
- Life expectancyMalawi: 67.4 years in 2023Somalia: 58.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMalawi: 4.9 per 100 live births in 2024Somalia: 10.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMalawi: 29.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Somalia: 66.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionMalawi: 3.45% in 2017Somalia: 3.79% in 2017
- Suicide rateMalawi: 12.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Somalia: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMalawi: 21.1 million people in 2023Somalia: 18.4 million people in 2023
- Population growthMalawi: 2.57% a year in 2023Somalia: 3.57% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMalawi: 3.65 births per woman in 2023Somalia: 6.13 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMalawi: 17.6% in 2025Somalia: 55.1% in 2025
- Median ageMalawi: 17.6 years in 2023Somalia: 15.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMalawi: 2.6% in 2023Somalia: 2.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateMalawi: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Somalia: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsMalawi: $128M in 2025Somalia: $193M in 2025
- Military spending per personMalawi: $7 in 2025Somalia: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMalawi: 3.8% of government spending in 2025Somalia: 20.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMalawi: 15,000 people in 2020Somalia: 14,000 people in 2020
- National powerMalawi: 0.07% of world capability in 2022Somalia: 0.13% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMalawi: 0.2% of the labour force in 2020Somalia: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMalawi: 2 million TIV in 2024Somalia: 2 million TIV in 2025