Military expenditure as a share of government spending in India
India: Military expenditure as a share of government spending was 8.18 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
8.18
Change on year
up 7.2%
World rank
45th
of 162 countries
All-time high
14.78
in 1988
All-time low
7.63
in 2024
Years of data
38
1988–2025
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in India, 1988–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
India recorded 8.18 for military expenditure as a share of government spending in 2025.
That represents a change of up 7.2% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure as a share of government spending in India peaked at 14.78 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 7.63, in 2024.
India ranks 45th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 14.78 | — |
| 1989 | 13.57 | -8.2% |
| 1990 | 12.4 | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 10.86 | -12.4% |
| 1992 | 10.31 | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 10.97 | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 10.35 | -5.7% |
| 1995 | 10.5 | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 10.33 | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 10.68 | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 10.66 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 11.64 | +9.2% |
| 2000 | 11.5 | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 10.52 | -8.5% |
| 2002 | 9.88 | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 9.1 | -7.9% |
| 2004 | 10.12 | +11.2% |
| 2005 | 10.42 | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 9.48 | -9.1% |
| 2007 | 8.85 | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 8.89 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 10.31 | +16.0% |
| 2010 | 9.86 | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 9.59 | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 9.27 | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 9.3 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 9.5 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 8.83 | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 9.08 | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 9.39 | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 9.1 | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 9.32 | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 8.76 | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 7.99 | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 8.02 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 8.09 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 7.63 | -5.7% |
| 2025 | 8.18 | +7.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.17 | 13.57 | 14.78 | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.87 | 10.31 | 12.4 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.91 | 8.85 | 11.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.33 | 8.83 | 9.86 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.11 | 7.63 | 8.76 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure as a share of government spending in India?
- Military expenditure as a share of government spending in India was 8.18 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 14.78 in 1988.
- What is the lowest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.63 in 2024.
- How does India rank for military expenditure as a share of government spending?
- India ranks 45th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure as a share of government spending rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military expenditure as a share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).