Military spending per armed forces personnel in Somalia
Somalia: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 8,776 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Somalia, 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$.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 8,776 constant 2024 US$ for military spending per armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 87.8% on the previous year and up 145.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Somalia peaked at 8,776 constant 2024 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1,055 constant 2024 US$, in 1985.
That places Somalia 128th out of 160 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Somalia, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,055 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 2013 | 3,581 constant 2024 US$ | +239.5% |
| 2014 | 5,292 constant 2024 US$ | +47.8% |
| 2015 | 3,483 constant 2024 US$ | -34.2% |
| 2016 | 3,564 constant 2024 US$ | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 4,397 constant 2024 US$ | +23.4% |
| 2018 | 5,276 constant 2024 US$ | +20.0% |
| 2019 | 4,673 constant 2024 US$ | -11.4% |
| 2020 | 8,776 constant 2024 US$ | +87.8% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 8,776 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for low income countries, which is 7,109 constant 2024 US$, 1.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 8,776 constant 2024 US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13,391 constant 2024 US$, 66% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,055 constant 2024 US$ | 1,055 constant 2024 US$ | 1,055 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
| 2010s | 4,324 constant 2024 US$ | 3,483 constant 2024 US$ | 5,292 constant 2024 US$ | 7 |
| 2020s | 8,776 constant 2024 US$ | 8,776 constant 2024 US$ | 8,776 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More reference data data for Somalia
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2685 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 1,290 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8842 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 0.4444 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 0.0115 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 11,378 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 3.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 40,976 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 42.94 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Somalia?
- Military spending per armed forces personnel in Somalia was 8,776 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 8,776 constant 2024 US$ in 2020.
- What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,055 constant 2024 US$ in 1985.
- How does Somalia rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- Somalia ranks 128th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
- Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 145.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Somalia 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 — 9 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.