Published: November 4, 2026
What the chart shows
In 2025, Algeria spent $25.4 billion on its military. All of Sub-Saharan Africa combined spent $23.3 billion. That is the whole chart, and it is the whole shock: one country outspent more than 40 countries put together.
The gap is $2.1 billion. Algeria spent about 9 percent more than the entire sub-Saharan total, and alone accounts for about 44 percent of all military spending in Africa, out of a continental total of $58.2 billion.
Why it matters
Algeria is not just spending a lot. It is spending at an intensity few countries in the world match. Its military spending was 8.8 percent of GDP in 2025, the second highest burden in the world after Ukraine. It was also 25 percent of all government spending, again second only to Ukraine. When a quarter of government spending goes to the military, that choice shapes what the state can do elsewhere, from schools and hospitals to roads and water.
The regional driver is hard to miss. SIPRI points to long standing tensions between Algeria and Morocco, especially over Western Sahara. Morocco, the second largest spender in Africa, spent $6.3 billion in 2025, about one quarter of Algeria's total. North African spending as a whole reached $35.0 billion in 2025.
The number in context
None of this means Algeria has the strongest military in Africa, or that spending equals capability. Spending covers salaries, operations, procurement and research. It does not measure training, readiness or equipment quality. Note the regions: Sub-Saharan Africa here excludes North Africa, so Egypt, Libya and Tunisia are not in the $23.3 billion total.
Inside Sub-Saharan Africa, the largest spender was South Africa at $3.2 billion, followed by Nigeria at $2.1 billion. Nigeria's spending rose 55 percent in 2025 as insecurity worsened, yet its total is about one twelfth of Algeria's. Sub-Saharan Africa faces insurgencies and border conflicts, yet its combined bill is still smaller than one North African neighbour's.
This chart builds on our earlier ranking of Africa's biggest defence budgets, which also put Algeria first. The new angle is the comparison: what one leader's total means next to a whole region.
Data sources
SIPRI, Trends in World Military Expenditure 2025 (April 2026): https://www.sipri.org/publications/2026/sipri-fact-sheets/trends-world-military-expenditure-2025
Ecofin Agency, report of the SIPRI release: https://www.ecofinagency.com/news/2904-55106-persistent-tensions-drive-africa-s-military-spending-up-8-5-to-58-billion
Methodology
Figures are SIPRI estimates for calendar year 2025, published in April 2026, the latest annual SIPRI release available on November 4, 2026. Sub-Saharan Africa is SIPRI's regional grouping and excludes North Africa. Derived claims were recomputed from the published figures: $25.4 billion minus $23.3 billion is $2.1 billion; $25.4 billion divided by $23.3 billion is about 9 percent more; $25.4 billion divided by $58.2 billion is about 44 percent. An earlier draft used SIPRI 2024 figures; those are superseded and are not used here.
