Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Military spending as a share of government spending
Afghanistan
5.0%
in 2020
Sri Lanka
4.9%
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
87th
Sri Lanka rank
88th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Afghanistan
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 5.0% against 4.9% in Sri Lanka, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 17 shared years of data; in 2004 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 87th and Sri Lanka ranks 88th of 162 countries.
Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.0% | 13.4% | 1.4% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 11.9% | 6.8% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 8.4% | 3.4% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, Afghanistan or Sri Lanka?
- Afghanistan, at 5.0% against 4.9% in Sri Lanka as of 2020.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka?
- 0.1%, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2020.
- How do Afghanistan and Sri Lanka rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Afghanistan ranks 87th and Sri Lanka ranks 88th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending as a share of government spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by government spending.