Africa’s five most militarised economies spent more than $33 billion on defence in 2025, highlighting how a small group of countries continues to dominate the continent’s military expenditure amid persistent security pressures.
The ranking, based on military spending as a share of GDP comes as global military expenditure reached a record $2.89 trillion in 2025, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The military burden, a key measure of how heavily defence spending weighs on an economy, captures the share of national output directed toward the military. It provides a clearer picture of economic prioritisation than absolute spending alone.
Across Africa, however, this burden remains uneven, with a small group of countries accounting for a disproportionate share of total defence expenditure.
According to SIPRI data, Africa’s total military spending rose to $58.2 billion in 2025, up 8.5% year-on-year and 45% higher than in 2016, reflecting a sustained upward trend in defence budgets across the continent.
