Sierra Leone
Military spending in Sierra Leone
Military spending in Sierra Leone: 0.73% of GDP in 1961 and 0.37% of GDP in 2025, by SIPRI estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 0.37% of GDP
- Since 1961
- −0.36 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 144 of 151
- counting from the highest
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- The highest was 1.72% of GDP in 2001, the lowest 0.22% of GDP in 1985.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.37 |
| 2024 | 0.66 |
| 2023 | 0.6 |
| 2022 | 0.58 |
| 2021 | 0.6 |
| 2020 | 0.49 |
| 2019 | 0.38 |
| 2018 | 0.47 |
| 2017 | 0.68 |
| 2016 | 0.71 |
| 2015 | 0.58 |
| 2014 | 0.75 |
| 2013 | 0.47 |
| 2012 | 0.52 |
| 2011 | 0.53 |
| 2010 | 0.6 |
| 2009 | 0.7 |
| 2008 | 0.6 |
| 2007 | 0.84 |
| 2006 | 0.89 |
| 2005 | 0.86 |
| 2004 | 0.97 |
| 2003 | 1.28 |
| 2002 | 1.36 |
| 2001 | 1.72 |
| 2000 | 1.58 |
| 1999 | 1.09 |
| 1998 | 0.64 |
| 1997 | 0.48 |
| 1996 | 0.85 |
| 1995 | 1.24 |
| 1994 | 1.25 |
| 1993 | 1.31 |
| 1992 | 1.69 |
| 1991 | 1.28 |
| 1990 | 0.82 |
| 1989 | 0.52 |
| 1988 | 0.3 |
| 1987 | 0.25 |
| 1986 | 0.35 |
| 1985 | 0.22 |
| 1984 | 0.3 |
| 1983 | 0.36 |
| 1982 | 0.43 |
| 1981 | 0.54 |
| 1980 | 0.59 |
| 1979 | 1.11 |
| 1978 | 1 |
| 1977 | 1.09 |
| 1976 | 1.09 |
| 1975 | 1.03 |
| 1974 | 1.21 |
| 1973 | 1.04 |
| 1972 | 0.95 |
| 1971 | 0.9 |
| 1970 | 0.94 |
| 1969 | 0.87 |
| 1968 | 0.8 |
| 1967 | 0.8 |
| 1966 | 0.69 |
| 1965 | 0.72 |
| 1964 | 0.78 |
| 1963 | 0.76 |
| 1962 | 0.71 |
| 1961 | 0.73 |
- 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
Sierra Leone in numbers
Every measure for Sierra Leone on one page
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Military
- Military spending in US dollars$29.5M in 2025
- Military spending per person$4 in 2025
- Military share of state spending2.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel9,000 people in 2020
- National power0.04% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers0.35% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports2 million TIV in 2016