Military spending per armed forces personnel in India
India: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 26,144 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Military spending per armed forces personnel in India, 1985–2020
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.
Analysis
India recorded 26,144 constant 2024 US$ for military spending per armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in India peaked at 26,183 constant 2024 US$ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 10,441 constant 2024 US$, in 1996.
That places India 80th out of 160 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in India, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 12,821 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 1989 | 17,615 constant 2024 US$ | +37.4% |
| 1990 | 17,351 constant 2024 US$ | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 16,073 constant 2024 US$ | -7.4% |
| 1992 | 15,361 constant 2024 US$ | -4.4% |
| 1993 | 17,350 constant 2024 US$ | +12.9% |
| 1994 | 17,427 constant 2024 US$ | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 10,605 constant 2024 US$ | -39.1% |
| 1996 | 10,441 constant 2024 US$ | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 11,506 constant 2024 US$ | +10.2% |
| 1998 | 11,835 constant 2024 US$ | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 13,766 constant 2024 US$ | +16.3% |
| 2000 | 13,552 constant 2024 US$ | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 14,139 constant 2024 US$ | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 13,888 constant 2024 US$ | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 14,040 constant 2024 US$ | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 15,048 constant 2024 US$ | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 13,754 constant 2024 US$ | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 16,319 constant 2024 US$ | +18.6% |
| 2007 | 16,599 constant 2024 US$ | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 18,784 constant 2024 US$ | +13.2% |
| 2009 | 21,748 constant 2024 US$ | +15.8% |
| 2010 | 21,835 constant 2024 US$ | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 21,856 constant 2024 US$ | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 21,096 constant 2024 US$ | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 20,948 constant 2024 US$ | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 21,969 constant 2024 US$ | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 21,789 constant 2024 US$ | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 22,543 constant 2024 US$ | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 23,733 constant 2024 US$ | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 24,606 constant 2024 US$ | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 26,183 constant 2024 US$ | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 26,144 constant 2024 US$ | -0.1% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 26,144 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,998 constant 2024 US$, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending per armed forces personnel in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | -39.1% | 17,427 constant 2024 US$ | 10,605 constant 2024 US$ |
| 1989 | +37.4% | 12,821 constant 2024 US$ | 17,615 constant 2024 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 15,218 constant 2024 US$ | 12,821 constant 2024 US$ | 17,615 constant 2024 US$ | 2 |
| 1990s | 14,171 constant 2024 US$ | 10,441 constant 2024 US$ | 17,427 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 15,787 constant 2024 US$ | 13,552 constant 2024 US$ | 21,748 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,656 constant 2024 US$ | 20,948 constant 2024 US$ | 26,183 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 26,144 constant 2024 US$ | 26,144 constant 2024 US$ | 26,144 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending per armed forces personnel in India?
- Military spending per armed forces personnel in India was 26,144 constant 2024 US$ in 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 26,183 constant 2024 US$ in 2019.
- What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,441 constant 2024 US$ in 1996.
- How does India rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- India ranks 80th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
- Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. 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.