Nigeria vs Zambia
Nigeria vs Zambia: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 0.91% of GDP in Nigeria and 1.26% of GDP in Zambia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 0.35 percentage points, or 1.39 times that in Nigeria.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Zambia has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Nigeria.
- In 2025, Nigeria ranked 115 and Zambia ranked 98 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Nigeria | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.91 | 1.26 |
| 2024 | 0.56 | 1.33 |
| 2023 | 0.84 | 1.34 |
| 2022 | 0.65 | 1.12 |
| 2021 | 1.01 | 0.98 |
| 2020 | 0.63 | 1.17 |
| 2019 | 0.46 | 1.26 |
| 2018 | 0.51 | 1.44 |
| 2017 | 0.43 | 1.3 |
| 2016 | 0.43 | 1.43 |
| 2015 | 0.42 | 1.75 |
| 2014 | 0.41 | 1.63 |
| 2013 | 0.47 | 1.36 |
| 2012 | 0.5 | 1.36 |
| 2011 | 0.58 | 1.32 |
| 2010 | 0.54 | 1.38 |
| 2009 | 0.51 | 1.73 |
| 2008 | 0.49 | 2.08 |
| 2007 | 0.37 | 2.06 |
| 2006 | 0.35 | 1.74 |
| 2005 | 0.4 | 1.85 |
| 2004 | 0.49 | 1.58 |
| 2003 | 0.57 | – |
| 2002 | 0.95 | – |
| 2001 | 0.78 | – |
| 2000 | 0.54 | – |
| 1999 | 0.86 | 1.65 |
| 1998 | 0.55 | – |
| 1997 | 0.44 | 1.01 |
| 1996 | 0.41 | 1.05 |
| 1995 | 0.48 | 1.45 |
| 1994 | 0.78 | 1.72 |
| 1993 | 0.93 | 1.43 |
| 1992 | 0.56 | 2.71 |
| 1991 | 0.77 | 2.34 |
| 1990 | 0.83 | 3.41 |
| 1989 | 0.58 | 4.2 |
| 1988 | 0.88 | 2.39 |
| 1987 | 0.77 | 3.22 |
| 1986 | 1.31 | 3.66 |
| 1985 | 1.44 | 2.36 |
| 1984 | 1.56 | 3 |
| 1983 | 2.22 | – |
| 1982 | 2.27 | – |
| 1981 | 2.77 | – |
| 1980 | 3.3 | – |
| 1979 | 4.32 | – |
| 1978 | 5.33 | – |
| 1977 | 6.02 | – |
| 1976 | 5.79 | – |
| 1975 | 8.12 | – |
| 1974 | 4.34 | – |
| 1973 | 5.48 | – |
| 1972 | 5.39 | – |
| 1971 | 4.39 | – |
| 1970 | 5.28 | – |
| 1969 | 10.32 | – |
| 1968 | 9.16 | – |
| 1967 | 5.81 | – |
| 1966 | 1.1 | – |
| 1965 | 1.4 | – |
| 1964 | 1.23 | – |
| 1963 | 1.1 | – |
| 1962 | 1.1 | – |
| 1961 | 0.85 | – |
| 1960 | 0.7 | – |
- 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 Zambia
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023Zambia: 66.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024Zambia: 4.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zambia: 38.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017Zambia: 3.64% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Zambia: 13.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023Zambia: 20.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023Zambia: 2.83% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023Zambia: 4.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025Zambia: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023Zambia: 17.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023Zambia: 1.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Zambia: 0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025Zambia: $343M in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025Zambia: $19 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025Zambia: 4.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020Zambia: 16,000 people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022Zambia: 0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020Zambia: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025Zambia: 1 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsNigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022Zambia: 2 million TIV in 1990