Military spending in Malaysia

Malaysia: Military spending was 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
4.55 billion constant 2024 US$
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
54th
of 162 countries
All-time high
4.55 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2015
All-time low
177.36 million constant 2024 US$
in 1961
Years of data
69
1957–2025

Military spending in Malaysia, 1957–2025

01.0B2.0B3.0B4.0B5.0B195719912025

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military spending in Malaysia is 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Malaysia peaked at 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2015 and was at its lowest, 177.36 million constant 2024 US$, in 1961.

That places Malaysia 54th out of 162 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 250.11 million constant 2024 US$ 231.66 million constant 2024 US$ 265.83 million constant 2024 US$ 3
1960s 392.57 million constant 2024 US$ 177.36 million constant 2024 US$ 598.70 million constant 2024 US$ 10
1970s 961.17 million constant 2024 US$ 759.17 million constant 2024 US$ 1.28 billion constant 2024 US$ 10
1980s 1.65 billion constant 2024 US$ 1.21 billion constant 2024 US$ 2.13 billion constant 2024 US$ 10
1990s 2.18 billion constant 2024 US$ 1.55 billion constant 2024 US$ 2.57 billion constant 2024 US$ 10
2000s 3.56 billion constant 2024 US$ 2.10 billion constant 2024 US$ 4.37 billion constant 2024 US$ 10
2010s 3.91 billion constant 2024 US$ 3.23 billion constant 2024 US$ 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ 10
2020s 3.93 billion constant 2024 US$ 3.43 billion constant 2024 US$ 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ 6

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 51 Azerbaijan 4.67 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 52 Myanmar 4.65 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 53 Hungary 4.62 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 55 Argentina 3.73 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 56 Bangladesh 3.66 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
  6. 57 South Africa 3.00 billion constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Malaysia?
Military spending in Malaysia was 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 4.55 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2015.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 177.36 million constant 2024 US$ in 1961.
How does Malaysia rank for military spending?
Malaysia ranks 54th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
Is military spending rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malaysia data come from?
The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending
Unit
constant 2024 US$
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 8,341 data points, 1949–2025
Last refreshed

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.