Malaysia vs Nigeria: Military spending
Malaysia
4.68 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Nigeria
4.07 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Malaysia rank
53rd
Nigeria rank
56th
Military spending over time
- Malaysia
- Nigeria
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 4.68 billion constant 2022 US$ against 4.07 billion constant 2022 US$ in Nigeria, a difference of 615.93 million constant 2022 US$.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.2 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Malaysia ahead.
Malaysia ranks 53rd and Nigeria ranks 56th of 172 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 5 and Nigeria in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 579.70 million constant 2022 US$ | 883.67 million constant 2022 US$ | 303.97 million constant 2022 US$ | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 1.59 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.46 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 2.84 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.73 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 3.66 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.22 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.44 billion constant 2022 US$ | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 4.18 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.22 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.97 billion constant 2022 US$ | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 4.99 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.37 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.63 billion constant 2022 US$ | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 4.54 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.84 billion constant 2022 US$ | 703.46 million constant 2022 US$ | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Malaysia or Nigeria?
- Malaysia, at 4.68 billion constant 2022 US$ against 4.07 billion constant 2022 US$ in Nigeria as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Malaysia and Nigeria?
- 615.93 million constant 2022 US$, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Nigeria?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2023.
- How do Malaysia and Nigeria rank globally for military spending?
- Malaysia ranks 53rd and Nigeria ranks 56th of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.