Military spending in Cuba

Cuba: Military spending was 155.63 million constant 2022 US$ in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
155.63 million constant 2022 US$
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
136th
of 172 countries
All-time high
3.33 billion constant 2022 US$
in 1979
All-time low
699,428 constant 2022 US$
in 1994
Years of data
115
1902–2018

Military spending in Cuba, 1902–2018

01.0B2.0B3.0B190219602018

Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.

Analysis

Cuba recorded 155.63 million constant 2022 US$ for military spending in 2018.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 89.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Cuba peaked at 3.33 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1979 and was at its lowest, 699,428 constant 2022 US$, in 1994.

That places Cuba 136th out of 172 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 581.69 million constant 2022 US$ 465.78 million constant 2022 US$ 707.85 million constant 2022 US$ 6
1910s 536.69 million constant 2022 US$ 229.61 million constant 2022 US$ 745.01 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1920s 170.81 million constant 2022 US$ 143.54 million constant 2022 US$ 205.94 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1930s 227.81 million constant 2022 US$ 160.90 million constant 2022 US$ 316.28 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1940s 277.93 million constant 2022 US$ 228.07 million constant 2022 US$ 320.28 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1950s 507.28 million constant 2022 US$ 406.90 million constant 2022 US$ 882.98 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1960s 1.43 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.19 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.54 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1970s 1.97 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.25 billion constant 2022 US$ 3.33 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1980s 3.00 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.87 billion constant 2022 US$ 3.15 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1990s 1.26 billion constant 2022 US$ 699,428 constant 2022 US$ 2.54 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2000s 1.40 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.18 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.95 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2010s 136.81 million constant 2022 US$ 114.91 million constant 2022 US$ 155.96 million constant 2022 US$ 9

Countries ranked near Cuba

  1. 133 Rwanda 218.10 million constant 2022 US$ compare
  2. 134 Equatorial Guinea 195.85 million constant 2022 US$ compare
  3. 135 Tajikistan 177.78 million constant 2022 US$ compare
  4. 137 Mongolia 153.56 million constant 2022 US$ compare
  5. 138 Somalia 149.19 million constant 2022 US$ compare
  6. 139 Malawi 142.12 million constant 2022 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for Cuba

All data for Cuba →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Cuba?
Military spending in Cuba was 155.63 million constant 2022 US$ in 2018, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending recorded in Cuba?
The highest recorded value was 3.33 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1979.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Cuba?
The lowest recorded value was 699,428 constant 2022 US$ in 1994.
How does Cuba rank for military spending?
Cuba ranks 136th out of 172 countries with data for 2018.
Is military spending rising or falling in Cuba?
Over the last ten years it is down 89.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Cuba data come from?
The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 115 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending
Unit
constant 2022 US$
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed

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.