Nigeria vs South Africa: Military spending gmsd

Nigeria
4.07 billion
in 2023
South Africa
3.63 billion
in 2023
Nigeria rank
56th
South Africa rank
58th

Military spending gmsd over time

  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B192019712023

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 4.07 billion against 3.63 billion in South Africa, a difference of 432.84 million.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

Nigeria ranks 56th and South Africa ranks 58th of 172 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 883.67 million 1.63 billion 744.11 million South Africa
1970s 4.46 billion 4.64 billion 179.18 million South Africa
1980s 1.73 billion 6.66 billion 4.93 billion South Africa
1990s 1.22 billion 4.98 billion 3.76 billion South Africa
2000s 1.22 billion 4.02 billion 2.80 billion South Africa
2010s 2.37 billion 4.72 billion 2.35 billion South Africa
2020s 3.84 billion 4.02 billion 186.43 million South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military spending gmsd, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria, at 4.07 billion against 3.63 billion in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in military spending gmsd between Nigeria and South Africa?
432.84 million, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
64 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2023.
How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for military spending gmsd?
Nigeria ranks 56th and South Africa ranks 58th of 172 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Military spending gmsd. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Military spending gmsd
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed