Kuwait
Military spending in Kuwait
Military spending in Kuwait: 2.39% of GDP in 1970 and 4.69% of GDP in 2025, by SIPRI estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 4.69% of GDP
- Since 1970
- +2.3 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 9 of 151
- counting from the highest
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- The highest was 117.3% of GDP in 1991, the lowest 1.89% of GDP in 1971.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Kuwait |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.69 |
| 2024 | 4.44 |
| 2023 | 4.28 |
| 2022 | 4.48 |
| 2021 | 6.07 |
| 2020 | 6.27 |
| 2019 | 5.24 |
| 2018 | 5.19 |
| 2017 | 5.61 |
| 2016 | 5.89 |
| 2015 | 5.01 |
| 2014 | 3.59 |
| 2013 | 3.27 |
| 2012 | 3.41 |
| 2011 | 3.5 |
| 2010 | 3.76 |
| 2009 | 3.97 |
| 2008 | 3.01 |
| 2007 | 3.59 |
| 2006 | 3.54 |
| 2005 | 4.34 |
| 2004 | 5.8 |
| 2003 | 6.54 |
| 2002 | 7.4 |
| 2001 | 7.7 |
| 2000 | 7.15 |
| 1999 | 7.59 |
| 1998 | 8.8 |
| 1997 | 8.09 |
| 1996 | 10.29 |
| 1995 | 13.58 |
| 1994 | 13.26 |
| 1993 | 12.44 |
| 1992 | 31.79 |
| 1991 | 117.3 |
| 1990 | 48.52 |
| 1989 | 8.54 |
| 1988 | 8.24 |
| 1987 | 5.98 |
| 1986 | 7.24 |
| 1985 | 6.43 |
| 1984 | 6.76 |
| 1983 | 6.83 |
| 1982 | 5.95 |
| 1981 | 4.13 |
| 1980 | 3.31 |
| 1979 | 3.55 |
| 1978 | 4.76 |
| 1977 | 5.29 |
| 1974 | 2.96 |
| 1973 | 2.53 |
| 1972 | 2.04 |
| 1971 | 1.89 |
| 1970 | 2.39 |
- Estimate
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
Kuwait in numbers
Every measure for Kuwait on one page
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Military
- Military spending in US dollars$7.92B in 2025
- Military spending per person$1,623 in 2025
- Military share of state spending10.1% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel25,000 people in 2020
- National power0.2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers1.03% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports311 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exports95 million TIV in 1998