Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Malawi

Malawi: Military expenditure as a share of government spending was 3.84 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
3.84
Change on year
up 13.7%
World rank
119th
of 162 countries
All-time high
4.31
in 2023
All-time low
1.89
in 2003
Years of data
24
2002–2025

Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Malawi, 2002–2025

012342002201320252002: 2.22003: 1.92004: 2.62005: 4.32006: 3.12007: 2.62008: 2.92009: 3.32010: 2.62011: 2.82012: 2.92013: 3.92014: 3.22015: 2.32016: 2.32017: 2.52018: 32019: 3.92020: 3.72021: 3.12022: 3.52023: 4.32024: 3.42025: 3.8

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 3.84 for military expenditure as a share of government spending in 2025.

That represents a change of up 13.7% on the previous year and up 66.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure as a share of government spending in Malawi peaked at 4.31 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.89, in 2003.

That places Malawi 119th out of 162 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Malawi, 2002 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2002 2.17
2003 1.89 -13.3%
2004 2.61 +38.6%
2005 4.26 +62.9%
2006 3.1 -27.2%
2007 2.6 -16.1%
2008 2.88 +10.7%
2009 3.34 +16.3%
2010 2.6 -22.2%
2011 2.76 +5.9%
2012 2.9 +5.1%
2013 3.91 +34.9%
2014 3.18 -18.7%
2015 2.31 -27.3%
2016 2.29 -0.9%
2017 2.53 +10.3%
2018 3.04 +20.4%
2019 3.94 +29.5%
2020 3.67 -6.8%
2021 3.09 -15.9%
2022 3.5 +13.3%
2023 4.31 +23.3%
2024 3.38 -21.6%
2025 3.84 +13.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.86 1.89 4.26 8
2010s 2.94 2.29 3.94 10
2020s 3.63 3.09 4.31 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 116 Guyana 3.98 compare
  2. 117 Portugal 3.97 compare
  3. 118 Liberia 3.89 compare
  4. 120 Japan 3.81 compare
  5. 121 Madagascar 3.8 compare
  6. 122 Cote d'Ivoire 3.76 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure as a share of government spending in Malawi?
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Malawi was 3.84 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 4.31 in 2023.
What is the lowest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 1.89 in 2003.
How does Malawi rank for military expenditure as a share of government spending?
Malawi ranks 119th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
Is military expenditure as a share of government spending rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 66.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi 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 Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-as-a-share-of-government-spending/malawi/

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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