Military spending per armed forces personnel in Liberia
Liberia: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 8,915 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Liberia, 2005–2020
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$.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 8,915 constant 2024 US$ for military spending per armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of down 14.5% on the previous year and down 53.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Liberia peaked at 29,255 constant 2024 US$ in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3,918 constant 2024 US$, in 2005.
Liberia ranks 127th of 160 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Liberia, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3,918 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 2006 | 12,903 constant 2024 US$ | +229.3% |
| 2007 | 9,754 constant 2024 US$ | -24.4% |
| 2008 | 10,176 constant 2024 US$ | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 17,119 constant 2024 US$ | +68.2% |
| 2010 | 18,985 constant 2024 US$ | +10.9% |
| 2011 | 27,325 constant 2024 US$ | +43.9% |
| 2012 | 29,255 constant 2024 US$ | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 27,073 constant 2024 US$ | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 23,697 constant 2024 US$ | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 22,400 constant 2024 US$ | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 20,459 constant 2024 US$ | -8.7% |
| 2017 | 16,906 constant 2024 US$ | -17.4% |
| 2018 | 12,928 constant 2024 US$ | -23.5% |
| 2019 | 10,426 constant 2024 US$ | -19.4% |
| 2020 | 8,915 constant 2024 US$ | -14.5% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 8,915 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for low income countries, which is 7,109 constant 2024 US$, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 8,915 constant 2024 US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13,391 constant 2024 US$, 67% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending per armed forces personnel in Liberia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +229.3% | 3,918 constant 2024 US$ | 12,903 constant 2024 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10,774 constant 2024 US$ | 3,918 constant 2024 US$ | 17,119 constant 2024 US$ | 5 |
| 2010s | 20,945 constant 2024 US$ | 10,426 constant 2024 US$ | 29,255 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,915 constant 2024 US$ | 8,915 constant 2024 US$ | 8,915 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
- 124 Turkmenistan 9,904 constant 2024 US$
- 125 Guatemala 9,659 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 126 El Salvador 9,530 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 128 Somalia 8,776 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 129 Chad 8,628 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 130 Montenegro 8,523 constant 2024 US$ compare
More reference data data for Liberia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0476 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1282 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.229 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.229 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1597 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.183 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5564 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2896 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Liberia?
- Military spending per armed forces personnel in Liberia was 8,915 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 29,255 constant 2024 US$ in 2012.
- What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,918 constant 2024 US$ in 2005.
- How does Liberia rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- Liberia ranks 127th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
- Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Liberia 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 — 16 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.