Ethiopia vs Saudi Arabia
Ethiopia vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 0.49% of GDP in Ethiopia and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 5.99 percentage points, or 13 times that in Ethiopia.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1963.
- In 2025, Ethiopia ranked 140 and Saudi Arabia ranked 5 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Ethiopia | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.49 | 6.48 |
| 2024 | 0.49 | 6.41 |
| 2023 | 0.77 | 6.38 |
| 2022 | 0.86 | 5.72 |
| 2021 | 0.44 | 6.43 |
| 2020 | 0.47 | 8.41 |
| 2019 | 0.56 | 7.35 |
| 2018 | 0.63 | 8.42 |
| 2017 | 0.68 | 9.5 |
| 2016 | 0.68 | 9.24 |
| 2015 | 0.67 | 12.57 |
| 2014 | 0.73 | 10.26 |
| 2013 | 0.81 | 8.71 |
| 2012 | 0.87 | 7.51 |
| 2011 | 1.06 | 7.13 |
| 2010 | 1.11 | 8.57 |
| 2009 | 1.21 | 9.62 |
| 2008 | 1.53 | 7.35 |
| 2007 | 1.91 | 8.53 |
| 2006 | 2.31 | 7.85 |
| 2005 | 2.81 | 7.73 |
| 2004 | 3.13 | 8.08 |
| 2003 | 3.3 | 8.69 |
| 2002 | 3.76 | 9.76 |
| 2001 | 4.39 | 11.42 |
| 2000 | 7.69 | 10.53 |
| 1999 | 9.51 | 11.38 |
| 1998 | 7.28 | 14.31 |
| 1997 | 3.34 | 11 |
| 1996 | 2.12 | 8.47 |
| 1995 | 2.23 | 9.28 |
| 1994 | 2.87 | 10.64 |
| 1993 | 3.07 | 12.47 |
| 1992 | 3.44 | 11.28 |
| 1991 | 5.71 | 12.47 |
| 1990 | 9.66 | 14.02 |
| 1989 | 10.28 | 13.39 |
| 1988 | 8.5 | 15.15 |
| 1987 | 6.86 | 16.9 |
| 1986 | 6.7 | – |
| 1985 | 6.82 | 17 |
| 1984 | 7.97 | 19 |
| 1983 | 7.18 | 16.97 |
| 1982 | 7.54 | 17.72 |
| 1981 | 7.54 | 13.27 |
| 1980 | 8.71 | 12.61 |
| 1979 | 6.89 | 15.77 |
| 1978 | 4.81 | 16.74 |
| 1977 | 3.97 | 15.65 |
| 1976 | 4.13 | – |
| 1975 | 4.49 | – |
| 1974 | 2.8 | – |
| 1973 | 1.93 | 10.84 |
| 1972 | 1.94 | 10.08 |
| 1971 | 1.91 | 8.64 |
| 1970 | 1.88 | 9.4 |
| 1969 | 2.02 | 9.57 |
| 1968 | 2.2 | 8.09 |
| 1967 | 2.49 | 11.51 |
| 1966 | 3.11 | 11.32 |
| 1965 | 3.23 | 7.69 |
| 1964 | 2.92 | 5.97 |
| 1963 | 2.43 | 5.9 |
| 1962 | 1.93 | – |
| 1961 | 1.86 | – |
- Estimate
- Highly uncertain
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
Ethiopia vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyEthiopia: 67.3 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEthiopia: 4.5 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEthiopia: 33 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionEthiopia: 3.82% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateEthiopia: 9.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEthiopia: 129 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthEthiopia: 2.59% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEthiopia: 3.99 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEthiopia: 24.1% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageEthiopia: 18.7 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEthiopia: 3.2% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateEthiopia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsEthiopia: $785M in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personEthiopia: $4 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEthiopia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelEthiopia: 138,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerEthiopia: 0.85% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEthiopia: 0.28% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEthiopia: 63 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsEthiopia: 17 million TIV in 1997Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023