Malaysia vs South Africa: Military spending, gaps filled
Military spending, gaps filled over time
- Malaysia
- South Africa
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ against 3.00 billion constant 2024 US$ in South Africa, a difference of 1.55 billion constant 2024 US$.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.5 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 69 shared years of data; in 1957 it was South Africa ahead.
Malaysia ranks 54th and South Africa ranks 57th of 162 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 250.11 million constant 2024 US$ | 312.14 million constant 2024 US$ | 62.03 million constant 2024 US$ | South Africa |
| 1960s | 392.57 million constant 2024 US$ | 1.01 billion constant 2024 US$ | 620.44 million constant 2024 US$ | South Africa |
| 1970s | 961.17 million constant 2024 US$ | 2.81 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.85 billion constant 2024 US$ | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.65 billion constant 2024 US$ | 4.36 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.71 billion constant 2024 US$ | South Africa |
| 1990s | 2.18 billion constant 2024 US$ | 3.15 billion constant 2024 US$ | 962.50 million constant 2024 US$ | South Africa |
| 2000s | 3.56 billion constant 2024 US$ | 3.12 billion constant 2024 US$ | 441.26 million constant 2024 US$ | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 3.91 billion constant 2024 US$ | 3.62 billion constant 2024 US$ | 286.13 million constant 2024 US$ | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 3.93 billion constant 2024 US$ | 3.28 billion constant 2024 US$ | 658.70 million constant 2024 US$ | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, gaps filled, Malaysia or South Africa?
- Malaysia, at 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ against 3.00 billion constant 2024 US$ in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending, gaps filled between Malaysia and South Africa?
- 1.55 billion constant 2024 US$, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
- 69 years are reported by both, from 1957 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for military spending, gaps filled?
- Malaysia ranks 54th and South Africa ranks 57th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Military spending, gaps filled. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military spending with 108 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.