Military spending per armed forces personnel in Malaysia
Malaysia: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 25,198 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Malaysia, 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$.
Analysis
In 2020, military spending per armed forces personnel in Malaysia stood at 25,198 constant 2024 US$.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.1% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Malaysia peaked at 34,088 constant 2024 US$ in 2015 and was at its lowest, 11,957 constant 2024 US$, in 1990.
Malaysia ranks 85th of 160 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 13,574 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 1989 | 12,585 constant 2024 US$ | -7.3% |
| 1990 | 11,957 constant 2024 US$ | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 16,531 constant 2024 US$ | +38.3% |
| 1992 | 16,425 constant 2024 US$ | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 19,427 constant 2024 US$ | +18.3% |
| 1994 | 21,052 constant 2024 US$ | +8.4% |
| 1995 | 18,346 constant 2024 US$ | -12.9% |
| 1996 | 17,641 constant 2024 US$ | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 17,676 constant 2024 US$ | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 13,141 constant 2024 US$ | -25.7% |
| 1999 | 18,489 constant 2024 US$ | +40.7% |
| 2000 | 18,086 constant 2024 US$ | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 21,662 constant 2024 US$ | +19.8% |
| 2002 | 24,717 constant 2024 US$ | +14.1% |
| 2003 | 30,468 constant 2024 US$ | +23.3% |
| 2004 | 28,096 constant 2024 US$ | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 28,941 constant 2024 US$ | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 28,532 constant 2024 US$ | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 31,858 constant 2024 US$ | +11.7% |
| 2008 | 32,579 constant 2024 US$ | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 30,847 constant 2024 US$ | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 26,968 constant 2024 US$ | -12.6% |
| 2011 | 30,231 constant 2024 US$ | +12.1% |
| 2012 | 28,831 constant 2024 US$ | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 31,415 constant 2024 US$ | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 31,659 constant 2024 US$ | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 34,088 constant 2024 US$ | +7.7% |
| 2016 | 32,635 constant 2024 US$ | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 26,940 constant 2024 US$ | -17.5% |
| 2018 | 24,581 constant 2024 US$ | -8.8% |
| 2019 | 23,743 constant 2024 US$ | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 25,198 constant 2024 US$ | +6.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 25,198 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19,504 constant 2024 US$, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 25,198 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23,831 constant 2024 US$, 1.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13,079 constant 2024 US$ | 12,585 constant 2024 US$ | 13,574 constant 2024 US$ | 2 |
| 1990s | 17,068 constant 2024 US$ | 11,957 constant 2024 US$ | 21,052 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 27,579 constant 2024 US$ | 18,086 constant 2024 US$ | 32,579 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 29,109 constant 2024 US$ | 23,743 constant 2024 US$ | 34,088 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,198 constant 2024 US$ | 25,198 constant 2024 US$ | 25,198 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Malaysia?
- Military spending per armed forces personnel in Malaysia was 25,198 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 34,088 constant 2024 US$ in 2015.
- What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,957 constant 2024 US$ in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- Malaysia ranks 85th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
- Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.