Military spending, per unit of GDP in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Military spending, per unit of GDP was 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP
Change on year
down 13.7%
World rank
79th
of 170 countries
All-time high
0.0972 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP
in 1996
All-time low
0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP
in 2023
Years of data
64
1960–2023
Military spending, per unit of GDP in Sri Lanka, 1960–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending, per unit of gdp in Sri Lanka is 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.7% on the previous year and down 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending, per unit of gdp in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.0972 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP, in 2023.
That places Sri Lanka 79th out of 170 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Military spending, per unit of GDP in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.0718 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | — |
| 1961 | 0.0733 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +2.1% |
| 1962 | 0.0699 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -4.6% |
| 1963 | 0.0756 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +8.2% |
| 1964 | 0.0687 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -9.1% |
| 1965 | 0.0521 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -24.2% |
| 1966 | 0.0481 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.6% |
| 1967 | 0.0438 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -9.0% |
| 1968 | 0.0422 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.7% |
| 1969 | 0.0388 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -8.0% |
| 1970 | 0.036 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.3% |
| 1971 | 0.0581 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +61.5% |
| 1972 | 0.0475 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -18.2% |
| 1973 | 0.0342 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -28.0% |
| 1974 | 0.0254 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -25.8% |
| 1975 | 0.0236 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 0.0242 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 0.0209 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -13.6% |
| 1978 | 0.0328 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +56.8% |
| 1979 | 0.0351 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +7.1% |
| 1980 | 0.0303 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -13.7% |
| 1981 | 0.0293 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 0.0293 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 0.0323 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +10.1% |
| 1984 | 0.0314 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 0.072 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +129.2% |
| 1986 | 0.0899 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +24.8% |
| 1987 | 0.0861 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 0.078 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -9.4% |
| 1989 | 0.0749 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 0.0801 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 0.0768 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -4.1% |
| 1992 | 0.0737 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 0.0744 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 0.0689 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.4% |
| 1995 | 0.0917 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +33.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0972 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 0.0859 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -11.6% |
| 1998 | 0.0857 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 0.0713 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -16.8% |
| 2000 | 0.081 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +13.6% |
| 2001 | 0.0735 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -9.3% |
| 2002 | 0.0486 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -33.9% |
| 2003 | 0.0418 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -14.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0389 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 0.034 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -12.6% |
| 2006 | 0.0387 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +14.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0482 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +24.3% |
| 2008 | 0.0475 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 0.0433 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 0.0312 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -28.1% |
| 2011 | 0.0274 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -12.2% |
| 2012 | 0.0267 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 0.0265 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.0248 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 0.0253 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 0.0243 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 0.0228 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 0.0229 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0234 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 0.0226 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 0.0196 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -13.5% |
| 2022 | 0.0209 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | +7.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | -13.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0152 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP, 1.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.0141 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending, per unit of GDP in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +129.2% | 0.0314 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.072 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP |
| 1971 | +61.5% | 0.036 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0581 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP |
| 1978 | +56.8% | 0.0209 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0328 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0584 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0388 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0756 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0338 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0209 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0581 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0554 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0293 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0899 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0806 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0689 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0972 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0495 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.034 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.081 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0255 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0228 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0312 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0203 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0226 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 76 Mozambique 0.0185 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 77 Turkmenistan 0.0183 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 78 Suriname 0.0182 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 80 Italy 0.0178 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 81 Gabon 0.0177 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 82 North Macedonia 0.0174 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP compare
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending, per unit of gdp in Sri Lanka?
- Military spending, per unit of gdp in Sri Lanka was 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest military spending, per unit of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0972 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP in 1996.
- What is the lowest military spending, per unit of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0181 constant 2022 US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for military spending, per unit of gdp?
- Sri Lanka ranks 79th out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military spending, per unit of gdp rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Military spending, per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Military spending divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Military spending ÷ GDP (current US$)
Computed from
- Military spending Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Military spending divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.