Iran vs Saudi Arabia

Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Arms exports

Arms exports: 80 million TIV in Iran in 2025 and 3 million TIV in Saudi Arabia in 2023, by SIPRI estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Iran, by 167 million TIV, or 57 times that in Saudi Arabia.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Arms exportsArms exports: 80 million TIV in Iran in 2025 and 3 million TIV in Saudi Arabia in 2023, by SIPRI estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Iran, by 167 million TIV, or 57 times that in Saudi Arabia.
IranSaudi ArabiaWorld

What the numbers say

  • Iran has been higher since 1996, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
  • The world as a whole: 29.5 billion TIV in 2023.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

YearIranSaudi ArabiaWorld
202580 million–33.5 billion
2024106 million–30.7 billion
2023170 million3 million29.5 billion
202248 million–33.3 billion
20212 million–27.1 billion
202016 million–24.1 billion
20199 million–27 billion
20189 million–27.4 billion
201724 million–31.3 billion
201624 million5 million31.5 billion
201511 million3 million28.7 billion
201434 million–27.1 billion
20132 million–27.4 billion
201235 million–27.9 billion
201177 million58 million29.9 billion
201054 million1 million25.8 billion
200999 million–24.4 billion
200882 million–24.1 billion
20072 million–26.5 billion
200678 million18 million24.5 billion
20054 million–21.4 billion
20043 million–21.3 billion
200312 million–19.2 billion
20029 million–17.7 billion
20010–18.5 billion
20000–20.5 billion
19990–25.4 billion
19980–27.9 billion
19970–28.9 billion
19963 million1 million23.7 billion
19951 million–22.9 billion
19940–23 billion
19931 million12 million25.8 billion
19921 million–24.3 billion
19911 million–28.2 billion
19900–30.2 billion
19891 million–34.9 billion
19881 million–36.8 billion
19871 million–39.4 billion
19861 million–39 billion
19851 million4 million38.2 billion
19841 million6 million41.6 billion
19831 million–43.9 billion
19821 million–46.2 billion
19811 million33 million45.8 billion
19801 million–42.2 billion
1979–5 million38.4 billion
1978––42.4 billion
1977–13 million40 billion
1976–036 billion
197586 million–37.2 billion
1974129 million–36.6 billion
19736 million–36.3 billion
1972106 million2 million34.5 billion
19716 million–32.9 billion
197023 million–25.3 billion
1969––28.1 billion
1968–3 million26.1 billion
196728 million4 million25.6 billion
1966––25.8 billion
1965––25.8 billion
1964––26.7 billion
1963––20.3 billion
19623 million–17.5 billion
1961––16.4 billion
1960––17.6 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • Major weapons the country sent abroad, 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.
  • 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

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