The military budget of Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان کا فوجی بجٹ) is a part of the federal discretionary budget, allocated to the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Defence Production.[1] The budget covers the salaries, training, and healthcare of both uniformed and civilian personnel, maintains military arms, equipment, and facilities, supports operations, and funds the acquisition and development of new arms and equipment.[2][3]
As of 2024, Pakistan’s defense budget is 1.7 percent of its GDP.[4] This represents a decrease compared to previous years, with the defense spending in 2022-23 being around 2% of the country’s GDP.[5] Despite facing economic challenges, Pakistan continues to allocate a substantial portion of its budget to defense.[6]
Military budgets
Pakistan's defence expenditure has seen fluctuations over the years.[7][4] The military budget of Pakistan as the percentage of total budget from 1971 to 2022 is given below:[3][8]
Defence Expenditure Data
Year
Defence Expenditure (in million)
Percentage of Total Expenditure
1970-71
3,201.5
55.66
1971-72
3,725.5
59.09
1972-73
4,439.6
59.34
1973-74
4,948.6
42.20
1974-75
6,914.2
42.83
1975-76
8,103.4
25.10
1976-77
8,102.6
23.10
1977-78
9,674.5
23.7
1978-79
10,302.0
21.0
1979-80
12,654.8
23.2
1980-81
15,300.1
23.2
1981-82
18,631.0
24.5
1982-83
23,224.0
26.7
1983-84
26,798.0
26.8
1984-85
31,866.0
27.3
1985-86
35,606.0
26.5
1986-87
41,335.0
27.1
1987-88
47,015.0
26.1
1988-89
51,053.0
25.4
1989-90
58,708.0
26.5
1990-91
64,623.0
24.8
1991-92
75,751.0
23.6
1992-93
87,441.0
25.0
1993-94
91,776.0
25.2
1994-95
100,221.0
23.4
1995-96
115,252.0
23.3
1996-97
131,400.0
26.26
1997-98
133,834.0
26.2
1998-99
145,000.0
26.1
1999-2000
142,000.0
22.0
2000-2001
163,000.00
24.0
2001-2002
189,000.00
22.6
2002-2003
202,000.00
45.4
2003-2004
228,000.00
26.1
2004-2005
253,000.00
24.5
2005-2006
293,000.00
21.4
2006-2007
306,000.00
18.0
2007-2008
343,000.00
16.1
2008-2009
393,000.00
16.9
2009-2010
469,000.00
16.8
2010-2011
549,000.00
17.0
2011-2012
652,000.00
16.1
2012-2013
744,974.00
15.9
2013-2014
811,104.00
17.3
2014-2015
943,288.00
18.0
2015-2016
1,010,647.00
18.1
2016-2017
1,086,228.00
17.6
2017-2018
1,306,085.00
18.8
2018-2019
1,505,362.00
18.4
2019-2020
1,565,642.00
17.2
2020-2021
1,749,521.00
18.4
2021-2022
2,035,325.00
15.9
2022-2023
2,199,892.00
14.5
Note: The fiscal year in Pakistan was from April to March in 1957, shifted to April to June in 1958, and has been from July to June since 1959 onwards.
Criticism
The high defense spending has sparked debates about its impact on Pakistan’s socio-economic growth.[3] Critics argue that the military budget takes a significant portion of the federal budget and results in economic inequality in Pakistan.[9][10][11]
The transparency of Pakistan's military expenditure has been criticized. Major acquisitions by the armed forces, expenditure on the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), expenditure on the nuclear program and para-military forces, payment of military pensions, and a few other military expenditures do not appear in the budget.[9]
