Malawi vs Nigeria: Military spending per armed forces personnel
Malawi
6,405 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
Nigeria
6,824 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
Malawi rank
137th
Nigeria rank
135th
Military spending per armed forces personnel over time
- Malawi
- Nigeria
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 6,824 constant 2024 US$ against 6,405 constant 2024 US$ in Malawi, a difference of 419 constant 2024 US$.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.1 times Malawi's.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Nigeria ahead.
Malawi ranks 137th and Nigeria ranks 135th of 160 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,610 constant 2024 US$ | 4,222 constant 2024 US$ | 611.1 constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 2,125 constant 2024 US$ | 4,657 constant 2024 US$ | 2,532 constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 4,490 constant 2024 US$ | 5,704 constant 2024 US$ | 1,213 constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 6,859 constant 2024 US$ | 7,052 constant 2024 US$ | 192.41 constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 6,405 constant 2024 US$ | 6,824 constant 2024 US$ | 419.14 constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending per armed forces personnel, Malawi or Nigeria?
- Nigeria, at 6,824 constant 2024 US$ against 6,405 constant 2024 US$ in Malawi as of 2020.
- What is the difference in military spending per armed forces personnel between Malawi and Nigeria?
- 419 constant 2024 US$, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Nigeria?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Malawi and Nigeria rank globally for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- Malawi ranks 137th and Nigeria ranks 135th of 160 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending per armed forces personnel. 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 armed forces personnel. 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.