Sri Lanka
Military share of state spending in Sri Lanka
Military share of state spending in Sri Lanka: 7.5% of government spending in 1990 and 4.9% of government spending in 2025, by SIPRI estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 4.9% of government spending
- Since 1990
- −2.6 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 77 of 150
- counting from the highest
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- The highest was 19.5% of government spending in 1996, the lowest 4.9% of government spending in 2025.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.9 |
| 2024 | 6.6 |
| 2023 | 6.8 |
| 2022 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | 8.6 |
| 2020 | 8.4 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2018 | 9.9 |
| 2017 | 11.1 |
| 2016 | 10.9 |
| 2015 | 12.5 |
| 2014 | 13.5 |
| 2013 | 12.5 |
| 2012 | 12.1 |
| 2011 | 13.5 |
| 2010 | 13.5 |
| 2009 | 14.6 |
| 2008 | 16.4 |
| 2007 | 13.9 |
| 2006 | 11.5 |
| 2005 | 11.1 |
| 2004 | 13.2 |
| 2003 | 12.5 |
| 2002 | 13.6 |
| 2001 | 15.6 |
| 2000 | 18.9 |
| 1999 | 16.1 |
| 1998 | 17.8 |
| 1997 | 17.7 |
| 1996 | 19.5 |
| 1995 | 19.3 |
| 1994 | 12.7 |
| 1993 | 12.1 |
| 1992 | 12 |
| 1991 | 9.5 |
| 1990 | 7.5 |
- Estimate
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, 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 150 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
Sri Lanka in numbers
Every measure for Sri Lanka on one page
Health
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Military
- Military spending1.31% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$1.36B in 2025
- Military spending per person$60 in 2025
- Armed forces personnel317,000 people in 2020
- National power0.31% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers3.74% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports11 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exports8 million TIV in 1998