Military expenditure in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Military expenditure was 23.04 billion current LCU in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
23.04 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 7.2%
World rank
95th
of 167 countries
All-time high
23.04 billion current LCU
in 2021
All-time low
1.28 billion current LCU
in 1970
Years of data
24
1970–2021

Military expenditure in Afghanistan, 1970–2021

05.0B10.0B15.0B20.0B25.0B1970199520211970: 1.3B current LCU1973: 1.5B current LCU1974: 1.6B current LCU1975: 1.8B current LCU1976: 2.4B current LCU1977: 2.7B current LCU2004: 6.0B current LCU2005: 6.1B current LCU2006: 6.6B current LCU2007: 11.0B current LCU2008: 12.1B current LCU2009: 12.7B current LCU2010: 13.8B current LCU2011: 15.2B current LCU2012: 12.1B current LCU2013: 12.0B current LCU2014: 15.4B current LCU2015: 12.2B current LCU2016: 12.6B current LCU2017: 13.0B current LCU2018: 14.3B current LCU2019: 17.6B current LCU2020: 21.5B current LCU2021: 23.0B current LCU

Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military expenditure in Afghanistan is 23.04 billion current LCU, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and up 51.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure in Afghanistan peaked at 23.04 billion current LCU in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.28 billion current LCU, in 1970.

Afghanistan ranks 95th of 167 countries on this measure, 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
1970s 1.86 billion current LCU 1.28 billion current LCU 2.67 billion current LCU 6
2000s 9.06 billion current LCU 5.99 billion current LCU 12.68 billion current LCU 6
2010s 13.84 billion current LCU 12.03 billion current LCU 17.59 billion current LCU 10
2020s 22.27 billion current LCU 21.50 billion current LCU 23.04 billion current LCU 2

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 92 Romania 40.08 billion current LCU compare
  2. 93 Italy 35.10 billion current LCU compare
  3. 94 Mozambique 28.75 billion current LCU compare
  4. 96 Spain 22.76 billion current LCU compare
  5. 97 Netherlands 21.43 billion current LCU compare
  6. 98 North Macedonia 20.13 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More public sector data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure in Afghanistan?
Military expenditure in Afghanistan was 23.04 billion current LCU in 2021, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 23.04 billion current LCU in 2021.
What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 1.28 billion current LCU in 1970.
How does Afghanistan rank for military expenditure?
Afghanistan ranks 95th out of 167 countries with data for 2021.
Is military expenditure rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 51.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
167 places, 8,248 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)