Nigeria vs United States
Nigeria vs United States: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 0.91% of GDP in Nigeria and 3.12% of GDP in United States, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 2.21 percentage points, or 3.43 times that in Nigeria.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- United States has been higher since 1979, when it overtook Nigeria.
- In 2025, Nigeria ranked 115 and United States ranked 23 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Nigeria | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.91 | 3.12 |
| 2024 | 0.56 | 3.43 |
| 2023 | 0.84 | 3.29 |
| 2022 | 0.65 | 3.3 |
| 2021 | 1.01 | 3.4 |
| 2020 | 0.63 | 3.64 |
| 2019 | 0.46 | 3.41 |
| 2018 | 0.51 | 3.3 |
| 2017 | 0.43 | 3.3 |
| 2016 | 0.43 | 3.4 |
| 2015 | 0.42 | 3.46 |
| 2014 | 0.41 | 3.68 |
| 2013 | 0.47 | 4.02 |
| 2012 | 0.5 | 4.46 |
| 2011 | 0.58 | 4.82 |
| 2010 | 0.54 | 4.9 |
| 2009 | 0.51 | 4.88 |
| 2008 | 0.49 | 4.45 |
| 2007 | 0.37 | 4.07 |
| 2006 | 0.35 | 4.04 |
| 2005 | 0.4 | 4.09 |
| 2004 | 0.49 | 4.02 |
| 2003 | 0.57 | 3.83 |
| 2002 | 0.95 | 3.45 |
| 2001 | 0.78 | 3.12 |
| 2000 | 0.54 | 3.11 |
| 1999 | 0.86 | 3.09 |
| 1998 | 0.55 | 3.2 |
| 1997 | 0.44 | 3.41 |
| 1996 | 0.41 | 3.56 |
| 1995 | 0.48 | 3.86 |
| 1994 | 0.78 | 4.22 |
| 1993 | 0.93 | 4.6 |
| 1992 | 0.56 | 4.97 |
| 1991 | 0.77 | 4.88 |
| 1990 | 0.83 | 5.61 |
| 1989 | 0.58 | 5.87 |
| 1988 | 0.88 | 6.07 |
| 1987 | 0.77 | 6.42 |
| 1986 | 1.31 | 6.63 |
| 1985 | 1.44 | 6.45 |
| 1984 | 1.56 | 6.24 |
| 1983 | 2.22 | 6.32 |
| 1982 | 2.27 | 6.81 |
| 1981 | 2.77 | 5.65 |
| 1980 | 3.3 | 5.15 |
| 1979 | 4.32 | 4.95 |
| 1978 | 5.33 | 4.94 |
| 1977 | 6.02 | 5.16 |
| 1976 | 5.79 | 5.19 |
| 1975 | 8.12 | 5.62 |
| 1974 | 4.34 | 5.95 |
| 1973 | 5.48 | 5.89 |
| 1972 | 5.39 | 6.52 |
| 1971 | 4.39 | 6.94 |
| 1970 | 5.28 | 8.03 |
| 1969 | 10.32 | 8.63 |
| 1968 | 9.16 | 9.27 |
| 1967 | 5.81 | 9.42 |
| 1966 | 1.1 | 8.44 |
| 1965 | 1.4 | 7.59 |
| 1964 | 1.23 | 8.05 |
| 1963 | 1.1 | 8.83 |
| 1962 | 1.1 | 9.33 |
| 1961 | 0.85 | 9.16 |
| 1960 | 0.7 | 8.99 |
| 1959 | – | 9.44 |
| 1958 | – | 10.07 |
| 1957 | – | 9.99 |
| 1956 | – | 9.9 |
| 1955 | – | 10.16 |
| 1954 | – | 11.74 |
| 1953 | – | 13.58 |
| 1952 | – | 13.86 |
| 1951 | – | 10.17 |
| 1950 | – | 5.08 |
| 1949 | – | 5.27 |
- 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
Nigeria vs United States
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNigeria: 29% in 2022United States: 97.5% in 2022
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025United States: $929B in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025United States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022United States: 14 billion TIV in 2025