Afghanistan vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

Arms imports: 65 million TIV in Afghanistan in 2021 and 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 1.68 billion TIV, or 27 times that in Afghanistan.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

AfghanistanSaudi ArabiaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2002, when it overtook Afghanistan.
The world as a whole: 26.8 billion TIV in 2021.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Afghanistan	Saudi Arabia	World
2025	–	3.04 billion	33.3 billion
2024	–	1.24 billion	30.6 billion
2023	–	1.33 billion	29.5 billion
2022	–	3.05 billion	33 billion
2021	65 million	1.75 billion	26.8 billion
2020	231 million	2.24 billion	23.4 billion
2019	379 million	3.03 billion	26.9 billion
2018	312 million	2.94 billion	27.3 billion
2017	235 million	3.85 billion	31.2 billion
2016	170 million	2.91 billion	31.4 billion
2015	131 million	3.47 billion	28.7 billion
2014	323 million	2.72 billion	27 billion
2013	253 million	1.69 billion	27.4 billion
2012	518 million	835 million	27.9 billion
2011	632 million	1.18 billion	29.9 billion
2010	365 million	1.11 billion	25.8 billion
2009	326 million	828 million	24 billion
2008	148 million	389 million	24.1 billion
2007	40 million	229 million	26.5 billion
2006	3 million	207 million	24.4 billion
2005	33 million	166 million	21.3 billion
2004	–	1.16 billion	21.3 billion
2003	–	158 million	19.2 billion
2002	34 million	559 million	17.7 billion
2001	–	59 million	18.3 billion
2000	–	104 million	20.5 billion
1999	–	1.58 billion	25.3 billion
1998	–	2.89 billion	27.9 billion
1997	–	2.79 billion	28.9 billion
1996	–	1.73 billion	23.7 billion
1995	–	985 million	22.9 billion
1994	–	981 million	22.8 billion
1993	–	2.35 billion	25.8 billion
1992	–	1.15 billion	24.3 billion
1991	1.24 billion	1.04 billion	27.8 billion
1990	1.61 billion	2.04 billion	28.6 billion
1989	1.82 billion	1.38 billion	31.7 billion
1988	927 million	784 million	32.9 billion
1987	489 million	2.01 billion	36.2 billion
1986	210 million	2.84 billion	35.5 billion
1985	158 million	1.31 billion	33.2 billion
1984	394 million	824 million	36.8 billion
1983	269 million	1.82 billion	39.1 billion
1982	455 million	2.22 billion	41.4 billion
1981	553 million	1.82 billion	42 billion
1980	632 million	1.09 billion	37.4 billion
1979	449 million	767 million	33.3 billion
1978	156 million	1.01 billion	39.2 billion
1977	75 million	1.02 billion	37 billion
1976	230 million	702 million	33 billion
1975	137 million	372 million	34.2 billion
1974	47 million	547 million	32.9 billion
1973	–	202 million	32.6 billion
1972	–	130 million	28.7 billion
1971	25 million	10 million	29.3 billion
1970	120 million	87 million	22.1 billion
1969	166 million	416 million	24.7 billion
1968	145 million	448 million	22.4 billion
1967	230 million	222 million	22.1 billion
1966	198 million	227 million	22.4 billion
1965	91 million	48 million	23.1 billion
1964	56 million	5 million	24.2 billion
1963	40 million	–	18.1 billion
1962	64 million	22 million	15.5 billion
1961	55 million	8 million	15 billion
1960	39 million	6 million	15.7 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

Major weapons the country received, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV): what the arms are worth as military capability, priced by their production cost, not what was paid.
Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, via the World Bank.
Ranks count the 110 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Afghanistan vs Saudi Arabia

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsAfghanistan: 1,498 deaths in 2022Saudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022