Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya

Libya: Military expenditure as a share of government spending was 5.47 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
5.47
Change on year
up 21.2%
World rank
78th
of 162 countries
All-time high
14.21
in 1998
All-time low
2.81
in 2007
Years of data
17
1997–2023

Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya, 1997–2023

2.557.51012.5151997201020231997: 11.71998: 14.21999: 11.52000: 10.32001: 6.32002: 5.22003: 4.82004: 4.92005: 52006: 3.62007: 2.82008: 3.12012: 8.22013: 7.22014: 10.92022: 4.52023: 5.5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Libya recorded 5.47 for military expenditure as a share of government spending in 2023.

That represents a change of up 21.2% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya peaked at 14.21 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.81, in 2007.

Libya ranks 78th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya, year by year

Annual values for Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya, 1997 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1997 11.69
1998 14.21 +21.6%
1999 11.53 -18.9%
2000 10.27 -10.9%
2001 6.3 -38.7%
2002 5.24 -16.8%
2003 4.84 -7.7%
2004 4.9 +1.3%
2005 5.02 +2.5%
2006 3.59 -28.6%
2007 2.81 -21.7%
2008 3.09 +10.1%
2012 8.2 +165.1%
2013 7.16 -12.6%
2014 10.91 +52.3%
2022 4.51 -58.7%
2023 5.47 +21.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.48 11.53 14.21 3
2000s 5.12 2.81 10.27 9
2010s 8.76 7.16 10.91 3
2020s 4.99 4.51 5.47 2

Countries ranked near Libya

  1. 75 Honduras 5.66 compare
  2. 76 Romania 5.65 compare
  3. 77 Iraq 5.53 compare
  4. 79 United Kingdom 5.45 compare
  5. 80 Philippines 5.4 compare
  6. 81 Bulgaria 5.2 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Libya

All data for Libya →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya?
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya was 5.47 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Libya?
The highest recorded value was 14.21 in 1998.
What is the lowest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Libya?
The lowest recorded value was 2.81 in 2007.
How does Libya rank for military expenditure as a share of government spending?
Libya ranks 78th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
Is military expenditure as a share of government spending rising or falling in Libya?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Libya 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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Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Libya. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-as-a-share-of-government-spending/libya/

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About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure as a share of government spending
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,946 data points, 1988–2025
Last refreshed