Botswana vs Latvia: Military spending as a share of government spending
Botswana
8.9%
in 2025
Latvia
8.2%
in 2025
Botswana rank
43rd
Latvia rank
46th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Botswana
- Latvia
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 8.9% against 8.2% in Latvia, a difference of 0.7%.
That makes Botswana's figure about 1.1 times Latvia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1998 it was Botswana ahead.
Botswana ranks 43rd and Latvia ranks 46th of 162 countries.
Botswana has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | Latvia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.0% | 1.7% | 6.3% | Botswana |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 4.2% | 3.8% | Botswana |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 3.5% | 3.9% | Botswana |
| 2020s | 8.1% | 6.3% | 1.8% | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, Botswana or Latvia?
- Botswana, at 8.9% against 8.2% in Latvia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Botswana and Latvia?
- 0.7%, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and Latvia?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do Botswana and Latvia rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Botswana ranks 43rd and Latvia ranks 46th 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.