Somalia Military Spending
Somalia spends an estimated 1.5% of GDP on its military in 2026; its most recent reported expenditure in US dollars is $193 million (2025).
Defense budget and military expenditure data (1961–2027)
Data updated: July 7, 2026
Key Facts (2026 estimate)
Military Expenditure
$199 million
Ranked #125 of 153 countries worldwide
Percent of GDP
1.5%
Ranked #102 of 163 countries by % of GDP
Year-over-Year Change
+3.1%
From $193M in 2025
Historical Peak Spending
$245 million
Reached in 1978
How the 2026 figures are produced. Neither figure is a researched budget estimate. The share-of-GDP figure is the arithmetic mean of Somalia’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 Somalia run to 2025.
Somalia Defense Budget Summary
In 2026, Somalia is estimated to have spent $199 million on military and defense, representing 1.5% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This budget covers the armed forces including army, navy, and air force expenditures. Somalia is the #125 highest military spender in the world by absolute spending.
Compared to the previous year (2025), defense spending increased by 3.1%, from $193 million to $199 million. This change in the military budget reflects growing defense priorities.
The highest percentage of GDP allocated to defense spending was 28.9% in 1986. The historical average military budget is 2.1% 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) | 1.49% | $205M |
| 2026(estimate) | 1.49% | $199M |
| 2025 | 1.54% | $193M |
| 2024 | 1.66% | $202M |
| 2023 | 1.27% | $147M |
| 2022 | 1.16% | $133M |
| 2021 | 1.17% | $133M |
| 2020 | 1.14% | $123M |
| 2019 | 0.83% | $93M |
| 2018 | 0.97% | $104M |
| 2017 | 0.75% | $88M |
| 2016 | 0.65% | $71M |
| 2015 | 0.68% | $69M |
| 2014 | 0.94% | $90M |
| 2013 | 0.44% | $39M |
| 1989 | 1.53% | — |
| 1988 | 17.44% | — |
| 1987 | 16.96% | $65M |
| 1986 | 28.95% | $70M |
| 1985 | 0.05% | $66M |
| 1984 | 0.14% | $93M |
| 1983 | 0.24% | $132M |
| 1982 | 0.29% | $122M |
| 1981 | 0.61% | $141M |
| 1980 | 0.55% | $146M |
| 1979 | 0.97% | $213M |
| 1978 | 0.99% | $245M |
| 1977 | 0.46% | $105M |
| 1976 | 0.52% | $96M |
| 1975 | 0.52% | $96M |
| 1974 | 0.73% | $106M |
| 1973 | 0.51% | $96M |
| 1972 | 0.45% | $92M |
| 1971 | 0.48% | $79M |
| 1970 | 0.50% | $78M |
| 1969 | 0.42% | $62M |
| 1968 | 0.41% | $61M |
| 1967 | 0.39% | $56M |
| 1966 | 0.35% | $49M |
| 1965 | 0.30% | $38M |
| 1964 | 0.33% | $44M |
| 1963 | 0.29% | $42M |
| 1962 | 0.25% | $36M |
| 1961 | 0.23% | $30M |