Military spending as a share of government spending in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Military spending as a share of government spending was 2.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of government spending in Nicaragua, 2000–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government spending.
Analysis
In 2025, military spending as a share of government spending in Nicaragua stood at 2.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 32.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of government spending in Nicaragua peaked at 3.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2021.
Nicaragua ranks 149th of 162 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of government spending in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of government spending | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.9% | — |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | +29.9% |
| 2003 | 3.2% | -10.8% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | -14.8% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | +23.6% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | +9.4% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | -21.8% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | -16.3% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 2.1% | +13.2% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | -4.6% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 146 South Africa 2.2% compare
- 147 Gambia 2.2% compare
- 148 Kazakhstan 2.1% compare
- 150 Austria 2.0% compare
- 151 Argentina 1.8% compare
- 152 Luxembourg 1.8% compare
More reference data data for Nicaragua
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4575 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4557 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4457 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of government spending in Nicaragua?
- Military spending as a share of government spending in Nicaragua was 2.0% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of government spending recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2002.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of government spending recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2021.
- How does Nicaragua rank for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Nicaragua ranks 149th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of government spending rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by government spending.