Defence expenditure across Africa continues to rise, shaped by persistent insurgencies, cross-border tensions, and a generally unstable geopolitical environment on the continent.
A new SIPRI report shows that African states collectively allocated $58.2 billion to military spending in 2025, marking the third straight year of increases.
This represents an 8.5% rise compared to 2024 and a 45% jump since 2016, highlighting a sustained upward trend in security-related budgets over the years.
However, the report notes that this growth is uneven, with North Africa contributing the largest share of the increase.
North Africa’s military spending
In 2025, North African countries together spent about $35 billion on defense, reflecting a 9.3% annual rise and a 67% increase since 2016, driven by heightened security pressures in the region.
Algeria leads the continent in defence outlays, recording a $25.4 billion budget in 2025, which is 11% higher than the previous year.
The country’s military allocation now represents roughly a quarter of total government expenditure, ranking second globally after Ukraine, showing how heavily national priorities are shaped by security concerns.
Morocco also expanded its defence budget, reaching $6.3 billion in 2025 after a 6.6% increase year-on-year.
Rising military investments in both Algeria and Morocco are largely tied to enduring tensions between the two neighbours, especially over the Western Sahara dispute, which intensified further in 2025.
“Spending by both Morocco and Algeria is largely driven by long-standing tensions between the two, especially over the contested territory of Western Sahara, which continued to escalate in 2025,” the report noted.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s military spending
Defence expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa reached $23.3 billion, reflecting a 7.4% increase from 2024 and a 21% rise since 2016, as conflicts and internal instability persist in several regions.
Nigeria recorded one of the sharpest jumps, with its military budget rising by 55% to $2.1 billion, driven by worsening insecurity linked to insurgent and extremist activity.
“Nigeria’s military expenditure rose by 55 per cent to $2.1 billion in 2025 against the backdrop of the worsening security situation in the country linked to insurgencies and extremist violence,” the report stated.
South Africa remained the highest spender in the sub-region with $3.2 billion, though this marked a slight decline from the previous year and significantly below 2016 levels, influenced by fiscal constraints and changing economic priorities.
At the same time, scrutiny over past expenditure has grown, with the South African Auditor General investigating about $900 million in alleged irregular defence spending.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, military spending increased by 20% to $1.2 billion in the first half of the year amid renewed clashes with a Rwanda-backed armed group, before a July 2025 ceasefire temporarily eased tensions.
Somalia allocated $199 million to defence during the period under review.
Although lower than 2024 figures, this still reflects a dramatic 173% rise since 2016, driven by its prolonged conflict with al-Shabab, which continues to hold parts of the country.