10 African countries with the highest defence budget in 2024

Business Insider Africa presents 10 African countries with the highest defence budget in 2024.
In Africa, Algeria has the highest defence budget rankings for 2024.
The list is courtesy of Global Firepower.

Undeniably, economic progress is nearly impossible in a state of insecurity. In the face of this security void, the need to spend big on security/defence has never been more imperative for many African governments.

In a previous article, we explored the military strength of 10 African countries in 2024 based on Global Firepower's assessment. The index ranks 145 nations' militaries, weighing various factors like the volume of sophistication of its equipment, finances, geography, and resources.

However, the assessment of countries goes beyond military strength alone. Global Firepower also monitors the annual defence spending of each country.

This includes funds allocated by governments to cover various aspects of a standing fighting force namely procurement, maintenance/support, and pensions. Data presented on the list is through 2024.

In Africa, Algeria has the highest defence budget rankings for 2024, holding the 22nd position globally. Morocco and Egypt closely follow, securing the 29th and 35th positions on the global scale.

Below are the 10 African countries with the highest defence budget in 2024:

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