Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 650,000 people in Iran and 282,000 people in Saudi Arabia, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Iran, by 368,000 people, or 2.3 times that in Saudi Arabia.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Iran has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- In 2020, Iran ranked 10 and Saudi Arabia ranked 25 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Iran | Saudi Arabia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 650,000 | 282,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 650,000 | 252,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 650,000 | 252,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 563,000 | 252,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 563,000 | 251,500 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 563,000 | 251,500 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 563,000 | 251,500 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 563,000 | 251,500 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 563,000 | 249,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 563,000 | 249,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 563,000 | 249,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 563,000 | 249,000 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 563,000 | 238,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 563,000 | 238,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 585,000 | 240,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 585,000 | 216,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 460,000 | 214,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 580,000 | 215,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 560,000 | 215,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 553,000 | 217,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 753,000 | 217,000 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 785,600 | 178,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 820,000 | 178,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 868,000 | 178,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 863,000 | 178,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 763,000 | 177,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 528,000 | 164,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 528,000 | 172,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 528,000 | 172,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 465,000 | 191,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 440,000 | 146,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 604,000 | 82,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 610,000 | 62,500 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 335,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1983 | 240,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1982 | 240,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1981 | 260,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1980 | 305,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1979 | 415,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1978 | 350,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1977 | 350,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1976 | 420,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1975 | 385,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1974 | 310,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1973 | 285,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1972 | 265,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1971 | 255,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1970 | 245,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1969 | 225,000 | 60,000 | – |
| 1968 | 210,000 | 60,000 | – |
| 1967 | 210,000 | 50,000 | – |
| 1966 | 210,000 | 45,000 | – |
| 1965 | 205,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1964 | 200,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1963 | 200,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1962 | 200,000 | 37,000 | – |
| 1961 | 185,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1960 | 208,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1959 | 157,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1958 | 147,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1957 | 138,000 | 31,000 | – |
| 1956 | 128,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1955 | 128,000 | 33,000 | – |
| 1954 | 132,000 | 34,000 | – |
| 1953 | 132,000 | 9,000 | – |
| 1952 | 132,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1951 | 123,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1950 | 114,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1949 | 114,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1948 | 92,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1947 | 91,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1946 | 101,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1945 | 90,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1944 | 86,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1943 | 80,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1942 | 65,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1941 | 124,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1940 | 120,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1939 | 32,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1938 | 90,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1937 | 92,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1936 | 94,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1935 | 95,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1934 | 97,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1933 | 97,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1932 | 40,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1931 | 40,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1930 | 40,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1929 | 40,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1928 | 40,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1927 | 40,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1926 | 40,000 | – | – |
| 1925 | 40,000 | – | – |
| 1924 | 28,000 | – | – |
| 1923 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1922 | 33,000 | – | – |
| 1921 | 37,000 | – | – |
| 1920 | 40,000 | – | – |
| 1919 | 43,000 | – | – |
| 1918 | 46,000 | – | – |
| 1917 | 5,000 | – | – |
| 1916 | 59,000 | – | – |
| 1915 | 59,000 | – | – |
| 1914 | 59,000 | – | – |
| 1913 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1912 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1911 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1910 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1909 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1908 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1907 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1906 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1905 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1904 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1903 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1902 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1901 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1900 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1899 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1898 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1897 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1896 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1895 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1894 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1893 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1892 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1891 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1890 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1889 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1888 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1887 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1886 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1885 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1884 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1883 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1882 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1881 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1880 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1879 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1878 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1877 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1876 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1875 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1874 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1873 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1872 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1871 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1870 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1869 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1868 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1867 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1866 | 20,000 | – | – |
| 1865 | 19,000 | – | – |
| 1864 | 19,000 | – | – |
| 1863 | 19,000 | – | – |
| 1862 | 19,000 | – | – |
| 1861 | 19,000 | – | – |
| 1860 | 19,000 | – | – |
| 1859 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1858 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1857 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1856 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1855 | 18,000 | – | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, 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
Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyIran: 77.7 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIran: 5.12% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateIran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIran: 90.6 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthIran: 1.12% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIran: 77.4% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageIran: 32.9 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIran: 7.9% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateIran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIran: $7.45B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personIran: $80 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- National powerIran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIran: 42 million TIV in 2024Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIran: 80 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023