Military spending in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Military spending was 1.14 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.14 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 9.8%
World rank
85th
of 172 countries
All-time high
1.71 billion constant 2022 US$
in 1990
All-time low
16.60 million constant 2022 US$
in 1948
Years of data
122
1898–2023

Military spending in Ethiopia, 1898–2023

0500.0M1.0B1.5B189819602023

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

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 1.14 billion constant 2022 US$ for military spending in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.8% on the previous year and up 174.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Ethiopia peaked at 1.71 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1990 and was at its lowest, 16.60 million constant 2022 US$, in 1948.

That places Ethiopia 85th out of 172 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 49.77 million constant 2022 US$ 49.11 million constant 2022 US$ 50.43 million constant 2022 US$ 2
1900s 47.19 million constant 2022 US$ 44.61 million constant 2022 US$ 51.15 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1910s 42.39 million constant 2022 US$ 27.68 million constant 2022 US$ 50.66 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1920s 26.77 million constant 2022 US$ 21.49 million constant 2022 US$ 29.05 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1930s 31.04 million constant 2022 US$ 27.70 million constant 2022 US$ 34.80 million constant 2022 US$ 7
1940s 24.22 million constant 2022 US$ 16.60 million constant 2022 US$ 30.58 million constant 2022 US$ 9
1950s 68.39 million constant 2022 US$ 22.33 million constant 2022 US$ 109.08 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1960s 200.70 million constant 2022 US$ 111.39 million constant 2022 US$ 262.64 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1970s 412.99 million constant 2022 US$ 232.13 million constant 2022 US$ 1.05 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1980s 921.30 million constant 2022 US$ 749.58 million constant 2022 US$ 1.14 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1990s 618.50 million constant 2022 US$ 227.40 million constant 2022 US$ 1.71 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2000s 530.71 million constant 2022 US$ 428.46 million constant 2022 US$ 877.66 million constant 2022 US$ 10
2010s 488.63 million constant 2022 US$ 361.17 million constant 2022 US$ 682.49 million constant 2022 US$ 10
2020s 907.65 million constant 2022 US$ 678.38 million constant 2022 US$ 1.14 billion constant 2022 US$ 4

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 82 Estonia 1.19 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  2. 83 Armenia 1.19 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  3. 84 Uganda 1.15 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  4. 86 Latvia 1.10 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  5. 87 Panama 1.04 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  6. 88 Tanzania 1.03 billion constant 2022 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Ethiopia?
Military spending in Ethiopia was 1.14 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023, 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 Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 1.71 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1990.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 16.60 million constant 2022 US$ in 1948.
How does Ethiopia rank for military spending?
Ethiopia ranks 85th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
Is military spending rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 174.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ethiopia 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

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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.