Afghanistan: Military spending, percent of government spending

The latest value from 2020 is 4.97 percent, an increase from 4.28 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 6.26 percent, based on data from 143 countries. Historically, the average for Afghanistan from 2004 to 2020 is 7.53 percent. The minimum value, 3.65 percent, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 16.13 percent was recorded in 2004. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

Definition: Military expenditures data from SIPRI are derived from the NATO definition, which includes all current and capital expenditures on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces; defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects; paramilitary forces, if these are judged to be trained and equipped for military operations; and military space activities. Such expenditures include military and civil personnel, including retirement pensions of military personnel and social services for personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; military research and development; and military aid (in the military expenditures of the donor country). Excluded are civil defense and current expenditures for previous military activities, such as for veterans' benefits, demobilization, conversion, and destruction of weapons. This definition cannot be applied for all countries, however, since that would require much more detailed information than is available about what is included in military budgets and off-budget military expenditure items. (For example, military budgets might or might not cover civil defense, reserves and auxiliary forces, police and paramilitary forces, dual-purpose forces such as military and civilian police, military grants in kind, pensions for military personnel, and social security contributions paid by one part of government to another.)