Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

Arms imports: 42 million TIV in Iran in 2024 and 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 1.2 billion TIV, or 29 times that in Iran.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

IranSaudi ArabiaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2008, when it overtook Iran.
The world as a whole: 30.6 billion TIV in 2024.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Iran	Saudi Arabia	World
2025	–	3.04 billion	33.3 billion
2024	42 million	1.24 billion	30.6 billion
2023	21 million	1.33 billion	29.5 billion
2022	–	3.05 billion	33 billion
2021	–	1.75 billion	26.8 billion
2020	2 million	2.24 billion	23.4 billion
2019	3 million	3.03 billion	26.9 billion
2018	3 million	2.94 billion	27.3 billion
2017	3 million	3.85 billion	31.2 billion
2016	413 million	2.91 billion	31.4 billion
2015	11 million	3.47 billion	28.7 billion
2014	14 million	2.72 billion	27 billion
2013	14 million	1.69 billion	27.4 billion
2012	39 million	835 million	27.9 billion
2011	89 million	1.18 billion	29.9 billion
2010	87 million	1.11 billion	25.8 billion
2009	92 million	828 million	24 billion
2008	57 million	389 million	24.1 billion
2007	325 million	229 million	26.5 billion
2006	418 million	207 million	24.4 billion
2005	53 million	166 million	21.3 billion
2004	117 million	1.16 billion	21.3 billion
2003	283 million	158 million	19.2 billion
2002	435 million	559 million	17.7 billion
2001	526 million	59 million	18.3 billion
2000	417 million	104 million	20.5 billion
1999	321 million	1.58 billion	25.3 billion
1998	374 million	2.89 billion	27.9 billion
1997	172 million	2.79 billion	28.9 billion
1996	608 million	1.73 billion	23.7 billion
1995	289 million	985 million	22.9 billion
1994	451 million	981 million	22.8 billion
1993	960 million	2.35 billion	25.8 billion
1992	406 million	1.15 billion	24.3 billion
1991	990 million	1.04 billion	27.8 billion
1990	444 million	2.04 billion	28.6 billion
1989	194 million	1.38 billion	31.7 billion
1988	469 million	784 million	32.9 billion
1987	807 million	2.01 billion	36.2 billion
1986	805 million	2.84 billion	35.5 billion
1985	639 million	1.31 billion	33.2 billion
1984	562 million	824 million	36.8 billion
1983	466 million	1.82 billion	39.1 billion
1982	499 million	2.22 billion	41.4 billion
1981	487 million	1.82 billion	42 billion
1980	278 million	1.09 billion	37.4 billion
1979	526 million	767 million	33.3 billion
1978	3.72 billion	1.01 billion	39.2 billion
1977	5.48 billion	1.02 billion	37 billion
1976	4.65 billion	702 million	33 billion
1975	5.23 billion	372 million	34.2 billion
1974	2.86 billion	547 million	32.9 billion
1973	2.05 billion	202 million	32.6 billion
1972	1.38 billion	130 million	28.7 billion
1971	2.1 billion	10 million	29.3 billion
1970	899 million	87 million	22.1 billion
1969	950 million	416 million	24.7 billion
1968	917 million	448 million	22.4 billion
1967	553 million	222 million	22.1 billion
1966	601 million	227 million	22.4 billion
1965	496 million	48 million	23.1 billion
1964	139 million	5 million	24.2 billion
1963	105 million	–	18.1 billion
1962	83 million	22 million	15.5 billion
1961	75 million	8 million	15 billion
1960	141 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

Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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