Libya vs Nigeria: Military spending
Libya
1.60 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2023
Nigeria
1.76 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2025
Libya rank
75th
Nigeria rank
72nd
Military spending over time
- Libya
- Nigeria
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 1.76 billion constant 2024 US$ against 1.60 billion constant 2024 US$ in Libya, a difference of 156.19 million constant 2024 US$.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.1 times Libya's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1964 it was Nigeria ahead.
Libya ranks 75th and Nigeria ranks 72nd of 162 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Libya averaged higher in 1 and Nigeria in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Libya | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 103.96 million constant 2024 US$ | 1.00 billion constant 2024 US$ | 899.91 million constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 374.92 million constant 2024 US$ | 2.85 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.48 billion constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 450.81 million constant 2024 US$ | 1.40 billion constant 2024 US$ | 951.59 million constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 353.70 million constant 2024 US$ | 530.98 million constant 2024 US$ | 177.28 million constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 542.93 million constant 2024 US$ | 853.50 million constant 2024 US$ | 310.57 million constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 2.12 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.31 billion constant 2024 US$ | 805.67 million constant 2024 US$ | Libya |
| 2020s | 1.43 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.63 billion constant 2024 US$ | 197.31 million constant 2024 US$ | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Libya or Nigeria?
- Nigeria, at 1.76 billion constant 2024 US$ against 1.60 billion constant 2024 US$ in Libya as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending between Libya and Nigeria?
- 156.19 million constant 2024 US$, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Libya and Nigeria?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1964 to 2023.
- How do Libya and Nigeria rank globally for military spending?
- Libya ranks 75th and Nigeria ranks 72nd 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. 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.