Military spending per military personnel in Malaysia
Malaysia: Military spending per military personnel was 40,503 constant 2022 US$ in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
40,503 constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
79th
of 170 countries
All-time high
50,684 constant 2022 US$
in 2013
All-time low
6,848 constant 2022 US$
in 1961
Years of data
66
1957–2022
Military spending per military personnel in Malaysia, 1957–2022
Source: Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025); Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
In 2022, military spending per military personnel in Malaysia stood at 40,503 constant 2022 US$.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per military personnel in Malaysia peaked at 50,684 constant 2022 US$ in 2013 and was at its lowest, 6,848 constant 2022 US$, in 1961.
That places Malaysia 79th out of 170 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Military spending per military personnel in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | constant 2022 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 23,088 constant 2022 US$ | — |
| 1958 | 21,408 constant 2022 US$ | -7.3% |
| 1959 | 17,967 constant 2022 US$ | -16.1% |
| 1960 | 16,583 constant 2022 US$ | -7.7% |
| 1961 | 6,848 constant 2022 US$ | -58.7% |
| 1962 | 7,067 constant 2022 US$ | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 28,158 constant 2022 US$ | +298.4% |
| 1964 | 16,756 constant 2022 US$ | -40.5% |
| 1965 | 19,162 constant 2022 US$ | +14.4% |
| 1966 | 22,847 constant 2022 US$ | +19.2% |
| 1967 | 19,699 constant 2022 US$ | -13.8% |
| 1968 | 17,513 constant 2022 US$ | -11.1% |
| 1969 | 17,529 constant 2022 US$ | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 15,662 constant 2022 US$ | -10.7% |
| 1971 | 17,480 constant 2022 US$ | +11.6% |
| 1972 | 21,134 constant 2022 US$ | +20.9% |
| 1973 | 20,029 constant 2022 US$ | -5.2% |
| 1974 | 19,983 constant 2022 US$ | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 20,954 constant 2022 US$ | +4.9% |
| 1976 | 18,822 constant 2022 US$ | -10.2% |
| 1977 | 23,906 constant 2022 US$ | +27.0% |
| 1978 | 25,082 constant 2022 US$ | +4.9% |
| 1979 | 30,674 constant 2022 US$ | +22.3% |
| 1980 | 38,336 constant 2022 US$ | +25.0% |
| 1981 | 40,969 constant 2022 US$ | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 41,499 constant 2022 US$ | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 33,375 constant 2022 US$ | -19.6% |
| 1984 | 21,794 constant 2022 US$ | -34.7% |
| 1985 | 23,940 constant 2022 US$ | +9.8% |
| 1986 | 20,621 constant 2022 US$ | -13.9% |
| 1987 | 19,746 constant 2022 US$ | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 19,086 constant 2022 US$ | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 19,066 constant 2022 US$ | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 18,794 constant 2022 US$ | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 23,510 constant 2022 US$ | +25.1% |
| 1992 | 28,825 constant 2022 US$ | +22.6% |
| 1993 | 35,139 constant 2022 US$ | +21.9% |
| 1994 | 35,514 constant 2022 US$ | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 36,717 constant 2022 US$ | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 34,408 constant 2022 US$ | -6.3% |
| 1997 | 35,631 constant 2022 US$ | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 28,054 constant 2022 US$ | -21.3% |
| 1999 | 36,201 constant 2022 US$ | +29.0% |
| 2000 | 35,525 constant 2022 US$ | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 36,533 constant 2022 US$ | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 36,570 constant 2022 US$ | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 37,980 constant 2022 US$ | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 38,842 constant 2022 US$ | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 36,952 constant 2022 US$ | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 39,688 constant 2022 US$ | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 44,490 constant 2022 US$ | +12.1% |
| 2008 | 46,163 constant 2022 US$ | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 43,166 constant 2022 US$ | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 43,224 constant 2022 US$ | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 47,090 constant 2022 US$ | +8.9% |
| 2012 | 47,332 constant 2022 US$ | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 50,684 constant 2022 US$ | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 50,394 constant 2022 US$ | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 48,962 constant 2022 US$ | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 42,846 constant 2022 US$ | -12.5% |
| 2017 | 42,714 constant 2022 US$ | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 41,663 constant 2022 US$ | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 41,720 constant 2022 US$ | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 40,354 constant 2022 US$ | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 38,445 constant 2022 US$ | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 40,503 constant 2022 US$ | +5.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 40,503 constant 2022 US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 33,699 constant 2022 US$, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 40,503 constant 2022 US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28,962 constant 2022 US$, 1.4× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending per military personnel in Malaysia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +298.4% | 7,067 constant 2022 US$ | 28,158 constant 2022 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 20,821 constant 2022 US$ | 17,967 constant 2022 US$ | 23,088 constant 2022 US$ | 3 |
| 1960s | 17,216 constant 2022 US$ | 6,848 constant 2022 US$ | 28,158 constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 21,372 constant 2022 US$ | 15,662 constant 2022 US$ | 30,674 constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 27,843 constant 2022 US$ | 19,066 constant 2022 US$ | 41,499 constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 31,279 constant 2022 US$ | 18,794 constant 2022 US$ | 36,717 constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 39,591 constant 2022 US$ | 35,525 constant 2022 US$ | 46,163 constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 45,663 constant 2022 US$ | 41,663 constant 2022 US$ | 50,684 constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 39,768 constant 2022 US$ | 38,445 constant 2022 US$ | 40,503 constant 2022 US$ | 3 |
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 military personnel in Malaysia?
- Military spending per military personnel in Malaysia was 40,503 constant 2022 US$ in 2022, according to Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025); Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending per military personnel recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 50,684 constant 2022 US$ in 2013.
- What is the lowest military spending per military personnel recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,848 constant 2022 US$ in 1961.
- How does Malaysia rank for military spending per military personnel?
- Malaysia ranks 79th out of 170 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military spending per military personnel rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025); Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.