Egypt vs Saudi Arabia
Egypt vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 0.61% of GDP in Egypt and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 5.88 percentage points, or 11 times that in Egypt.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 1977, when it overtook Egypt.
- In 2025, Egypt ranked 133 and Saudi Arabia ranked 5 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Egypt | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.61 | 6.48 |
| 2024 | 0.67 | 6.41 |
| 2023 | 0.81 | 6.38 |
| 2022 | 1.02 | 5.72 |
| 2021 | 1.12 | 6.43 |
| 2020 | 1.12 | 8.41 |
| 2019 | 1.18 | 7.35 |
| 2018 | 1.25 | 8.42 |
| 2017 | 1.42 | 9.5 |
| 2016 | 1.67 | 9.24 |
| 2015 | 1.72 | 12.57 |
| 2014 | 1.69 | 10.26 |
| 2013 | 1.61 | 8.71 |
| 2012 | 1.65 | 7.51 |
| 2011 | 1.84 | 7.13 |
| 2010 | 1.95 | 8.57 |
| 2009 | 2.03 | 9.62 |
| 2008 | 2.18 | 7.35 |
| 2007 | 2.38 | 8.53 |
| 2006 | 2.61 | 7.85 |
| 2005 | 2.71 | 7.73 |
| 2004 | 2.88 | 8.08 |
| 2003 | 3.18 | 8.69 |
| 2002 | 3.28 | 9.76 |
| 2001 | 2.99 | 11.42 |
| 2000 | 2.55 | 10.53 |
| 1999 | 2.57 | 11.38 |
| 1998 | 2.66 | 14.31 |
| 1997 | 2.84 | 11 |
| 1996 | 2.98 | 8.47 |
| 1995 | 3.08 | 9.28 |
| 1994 | 3.15 | 10.64 |
| 1993 | 3.1 | 12.47 |
| 1992 | 3.22 | 11.28 |
| 1991 | 3.61 | 12.47 |
| 1990 | 3.47 | 14.02 |
| 1989 | 3.97 | 13.39 |
| 1988 | 5.06 | 15.15 |
| 1987 | 6.53 | 16.9 |
| 1986 | 7.5 | – |
| 1985 | 7.86 | 17 |
| 1984 | 8.27 | 19 |
| 1983 | 7.96 | 16.97 |
| 1982 | 7.19 | 17.72 |
| 1981 | 7.42 | 13.27 |
| 1980 | 6.16 | 12.61 |
| 1979 | 6.47 | 15.77 |
| 1978 | 9.94 | 16.74 |
| 1977 | 13.11 | 15.65 |
| 1976 | 13.73 | – |
| 1975 | 15.43 | – |
| 1974 | 17.27 | – |
| 1973 | 13.51 | 10.84 |
| 1972 | 13.56 | 10.08 |
| 1971 | 17.19 | 8.64 |
| 1970 | 15.99 | 9.4 |
| 1969 | 14.34 | 9.57 |
| 1968 | 11.13 | 8.09 |
| 1967 | 8.91 | 11.51 |
| 1966 | 8.72 | 11.32 |
| 1965 | 10.12 | 7.69 |
| 1964 | 10.33 | 5.97 |
| 1963 | 8.67 | 5.9 |
| 1962 | 6.68 | – |
- 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
Egypt vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyEgypt: 71.6 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEgypt: 2.2 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEgypt: 14.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionEgypt: 3.24% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateEgypt: 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEgypt: 115 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthEgypt: 1.82% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEgypt: 2.75 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEgypt: 42.9% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageEgypt: 24 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEgypt: 5% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateEgypt: 2.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsEgypt: $2.26B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personEgypt: $21 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEgypt: 2.5% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelEgypt: 836,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerEgypt: 1.18% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEgypt: 2.76% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEgypt: 697 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsEgypt: 2 million TIV in 2024Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023