Bahrain Military Spending
Bahrain spends an estimated 3.2% of GDP on its military in 2026; its most recent reported expenditure in US dollars is $1.5 billion (2025).
Defense budget and military expenditure data (1971–2027)
Data updated: July 7, 2026
Key Facts (2026 estimate)
Military Expenditure
$1.5 billion
Ranked #74 of 153 countries worldwide
Percent of GDP
3.2%
Ranked #35 of 163 countries by % of GDP
Year-over-Year Change
+3.0%
From $1.5B in 2025
Historical Peak Spending
$1.6 billion
Reached in 2014
How the 2026 figures are produced. Neither figure is a researched budget estimate. The share-of-GDP figure is the arithmetic mean of Bahrain’s last 3 reported years (2023–2025), carried across both estimate years unchanged. The dollar figure is not a per-country forecast — it is the actual SIPRI figure for 2025 raised by a flat 3%, the same rate applied to every country in this group, so it can rise even where the share-of-GDP path falls. Actual SIPRI figures for Bahrain run to 2025.
Bahrain Defense Budget Summary
In 2026, Bahrain is estimated to have spent $1.5 billion on military and defense, representing 3.2% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This budget covers the armed forces including army, navy, and air force expenditures. Bahrain is the #74 highest military spender in the world by absolute spending.
Compared to the previous year (2025), defense spending increased by 3.0%, from $1.5 billion to $1.5 billion. This change in the military budget reflects growing defense priorities.
The highest percentage of GDP allocated to defense spending was 8.5% in 1982. The historical average military budget is 4.4% of GDP.
Data source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Values are in constant 2024 US dollars. Data for 2026 is an estimate based on government budget announcements.
Historical Military Spending
Military Spending (% of GDP)
Military Spending (USD Billions, 2024 prices)
Historical Data
| Year | Percent of GDP | USD (millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 2027(estimate) | 3.19% | $1,552M |
| 2026(estimate) | 3.19% | $1,508M |
| 2025 | 3.11% | $1,464M |
| 2024 | 2.94% | $1,384M |
| 2023 | 3.52% | $1,637M |
| 2022 | 3.42% | $1,614M |
| 2021 | 3.52% | $1,504M |
| 2020 | 4.06% | $1,461M |
| 2019 | 4.03% | $1,583M |
| 2018 | 4.04% | $1,568M |
| 2017 | 4.32% | $1,606M |
| 2016 | 4.67% | $1,599M |
| 2015 | 4.64% | $1,575M |
| 2014 | 4.42% | $1,641M |
| 2013 | 4.14% | $1,538M |
| 2012 | 3.84% | $1,394M |
| 2011 | 3.59% | $1,252M |
| 2010 | 3.28% | $1,017M |
| 2009 | 3.61% | $1,019M |
| 2008 | 2.80% | $911M |
| 2007 | 2.96% | $841M |
| 2006 | 3.10% | $776M |
| 2005 | 3.21% | $708M |
| 2004 | 4.04% | $753M |
| 2003 | 4.66% | $747M |
| 2002 | 4.61% | $654M |
| 2001 | 4.15% | $545M |
| 2000 | 3.96% | $519M |
| 1999 | 5.50% | $523M |
| 1998 | 5.33% | $468M |
| 1997 | 5.07% | $455M |
| 1996 | 5.27% | $466M |
| 1995 | 5.18% | $437M |
| 1994 | 5.11% | $421M |
| 1993 | 5.37% | $416M |
| 1992 | 5.88% | $427M |
| 1991 | 5.70% | $402M |
| 1990 | 5.28% | $368M |
| 1989 | 5.64% | $339M |
| 1988 | 5.60% | $327M |
| 1987 | 5.25% | $282M |
| 1986 | 5.84% | $277M |
| 1985 | 4.59% | $254M |
| 1984 | 4.18% | $244M |
| 1983 | 4.79% | $272M |
| 1982 | 8.54% | $475M |
| 1981 | 6.90% | $398M |
| 1980 | 5.70% | $325M |
| 1979 | 5.89% | $307M |
| 1978 | 4.96% | $235M |
| 1977 | 2.08% | $97M |
| 1976 | 1.75% | $74M |
| 1975 | 1.53% | $57M |
| 1974 | — | $105M |
| 1973 | — | $84M |
| 1972 | — | $79M |
| 1971 | — | $83M |