Afghanistan vs Saudi Arabia

Afghanistan vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending

Military spending: 1.83% of GDP in Afghanistan in 2021 and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 4.6 percentage points, or 3.52 times that in Afghanistan.

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% of GDP · SIPRI

Afghanistan vs Saudi Arabia: Military spendingMilitary spending: 1.83% of GDP in Afghanistan in 2021 and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 4.6 percentage points, or 3.52 times that in Afghanistan.
AfghanistanSaudi ArabiaSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1970.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearAfghanistanSaudi Arabia
2025–6.48
2024–6.41
2023–6.38
2022–5.72
20211.836.43
20201.368.41
20191.177.35
20181.018.42
20170.959.5
20160.969.24
20150.9912.57
20141.310.26
20131.088.71
20121.187.51
20111.827.13
20101.958.57
20092.099.62
20082.347.35
20072.578.53
20061.97.85
20051.997.73
20042.438.08
2003–8.69
2002–9.76
2001–11.42
2000–10.53
1999–11.38
1998–14.31
1997–11
1996–8.47
1995–9.28
1994–10.64
1993–12.47
1992–11.28
1991–12.47
1990–14.02
1989–13.39
1988–15.15
1987–16.9
1985–17
1984–19
1983–16.97
1982–17.72
1981–13.27
1980–12.61
1979–15.77
1978–16.74
19772.0115.65
19762.05–
19751.72–
19741.61–
19731.8710.84
1972–10.08
1971–8.64
19701.639.4
1969–9.57
1968–8.09
1967–11.51
1966–11.32
1965–7.69
1964–5.97
1963–5.9
  • Estimate

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
  • Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
  • Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
  • Ranks count the 151 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

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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