Defense spending budget in Africa 2023, by country

As of 2023, Algeria had the highest defense spending budget in Africa, around 10 billion U.S. dollars. The country ranked 24th in the world. Egypt and Libya followed, with a budget of roughly 4.4 billion and 3.6 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. Overall, North Africa was the region allocating the largest budget to national defense on the continent.

The Algerian military power

As the leading defense spender in Africa, Algeria devotes nearly five percent of its GDP to military expenditure, the second-highest share on the continent. In addition, the Algerian government's military spending per capita ranked second in Africa after Botswana, reaching 201.7 U.S. dollars in 2022. These heavy investments aimed at improving Algeria’s national security, as well as supporting the country’s military force, concentrated in the People’s National Armed Forces. Due to the high public expenditure, Algeria has the second most powerful army in Africa after Egypt.

Seeking national security in Africa

Internal conflicts caused by political instability and terrorism determined the need for many African countries to improve their military strength. However, despite the general increment in the total military expenditure on the continent in recent years, Africa only accounts for around two percent of the global military spending. North Africa is the region that has been focusing the most on developing its military industry, leading to an actual arms race. Especially Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco have been expanding their armed forces by increasing the imports of arms and military equipment.