Ethiopia vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 63 million TIV in Ethiopia and 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 2.98 billion TIV, or 48 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

EthiopiaSaudi ArabiaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2004, when it overtook Ethiopia.
In 2025, Ethiopia ranked 53 and Saudi Arabia ranked 1 of 110 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Ethiopia	Saudi Arabia	World
2025	63 million	3.04 billion	33.3 billion
2024	48 million	1.24 billion	30.6 billion
2023	2 million	1.33 billion	29.5 billion
2022	45 million	3.05 billion	33 billion
2021	16 million	1.75 billion	26.8 billion
2020	25 million	2.24 billion	23.4 billion
2019	76 million	3.03 billion	26.9 billion
2018	14 million	2.94 billion	27.3 billion
2017	51 million	3.85 billion	31.2 billion
2016	55 million	2.91 billion	31.4 billion
2015	10 million	3.47 billion	28.7 billion
2014	33 million	2.72 billion	27 billion
2013	154 million	1.69 billion	27.4 billion
2012	193 million	835 million	27.9 billion
2011	76 million	1.18 billion	29.9 billion
2010	58 million	1.11 billion	25.8 billion
2009	–	828 million	24 billion
2008	–	389 million	24.1 billion
2007	–	229 million	26.5 billion
2006	–	207 million	24.4 billion
2005	–	166 million	21.3 billion
2004	239 million	1.16 billion	21.3 billion
2003	174 million	158 million	19.2 billion
2002	20 million	559 million	17.7 billion
2001	–	59 million	18.3 billion
2000	114 million	104 million	20.5 billion
1999	152 million	1.58 billion	25.3 billion
1998	208 million	2.89 billion	27.9 billion
1997	69 million	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	80 million	1.04 billion	27.8 billion
1990	2 million	2.04 billion	28.6 billion
1989	47 million	1.38 billion	31.7 billion
1988	155 million	784 million	32.9 billion
1987	239 million	2.01 billion	36.2 billion
1986	348 million	2.84 billion	35.5 billion
1985	268 million	1.31 billion	33.2 billion
1984	228 million	824 million	36.8 billion
1983	403 million	1.82 billion	39.1 billion
1982	516 million	2.22 billion	41.4 billion
1981	328 million	1.82 billion	42 billion
1980	330 million	1.09 billion	37.4 billion
1979	113 million	767 million	33.3 billion
1978	965 million	1.01 billion	39.2 billion
1977	1.13 billion	1.02 billion	37 billion
1976	113 million	702 million	33 billion
1975	58 million	372 million	34.2 billion
1974	36 million	547 million	32.9 billion
1973	5 million	202 million	32.6 billion
1972	53 million	130 million	28.7 billion
1971	54 million	10 million	29.3 billion
1970	90 million	87 million	22.1 billion
1969	24 million	416 million	24.7 billion
1968	34 million	448 million	22.4 billion
1967	31 million	222 million	22.1 billion
1966	99 million	227 million	22.4 billion
1965	14 million	48 million	23.1 billion
1964	4 million	5 million	24.2 billion
1963	27 million	–	18.1 billion
1962	21 million	22 million	15.5 billion
1961	4 million	8 million	15 billion
1960	24 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

Ethiopia vs Saudi Arabia

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsEthiopia: 102,900 deaths in 2022Saudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022