African countries face many security problems, including internal wars and terrorism, as well as regional geopolitical factors, from North to West Africa.
Undoubtedly, economic progress is practically impossible in an environment of insecurity. In the face of this security deficit, many African governments have never felt more compelled to invest heavily in security and defense.
In a previous piece, we evaluated the military might of 10 African countries in 2024 using Global Firepower’s evaluation. The index rates 145 nations’ militaries based on characteristics such as the sophistication of their weaponry, budget, location, and available resources.
However, the appraisal of countries extends beyond military power. Global Firepower tracks annual defense spending for each country.
This covers funding granted by governments for various parts of a standing fighting force, such as procurement, maintenance/support, and pensions. The data shown on the list is current through 2024.
Algeria has Africa’s highest defense budget rankings for 2024, ranking 22nd internationally. Morocco and Egypt follow closely after, ranking 29th and 35th respectively on the worldwide scale.
| Rank | Country | Global Rank | Defence budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algeria | 22 | $ 21,600,000,000 |
| 2 | Morocco | 29 | $ 12,088,000,000 |
| 3 | Egypt | 35 | $ 9,400,000,000 |
| 4 | Nigeria | 56 | $ 4,000,000,000 |
| 5 | Libya | 59 | $ 3,400,000,000 |
| 6 | South Africa | 64 | $ 2,695,346,150 |
| 7 | Kenya | 70 | $ 2,200,000,000 |
| 8 | Tanzania | 73 | $ 1,870,000,000 |
| 9 | Botswana | 74 | $ 1,642,009,600 |
| 10 | Angola | 75 | $ 1,623,000,000 |
