Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Government debt
Government debt: 31.2% of GDP in Iran in 2024 and 31.8% of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Iran, by 5.4 percentage points, or 1.21 times that in Saudi Arabia.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Iran has been higher since 2010, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iran at 43.4% of GDP and Saudi Arabia at 48.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Iran | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35.6 | 31.8 |
| 2024 | 31.2 | 25.9 |
| 2023 | 29.6 | 23 |
| 2022 | 34.5 | 21.3 |
| 2021 | 39.9 | 25.5 |
| 2020 | 47.1 | 29.7 |
| 2019 | 44.6 | 20.3 |
| 2018 | 41.6 | 16.8 |
| 2017 | 43.2 | 16 |
| 2016 | 46 | 12.3 |
| 2015 | 32.1 | 5.5 |
| 2014 | 10.9 | 1.5 |
| 2013 | 10.2 | 2.1 |
| 2012 | 11.8 | 3 |
| 2011 | 10.6 | 5.3 |
| 2010 | 12.8 | 8.4 |
| 2009 | 11.5 | 14 |
| 2008 | 10.6 | 12.1 |
| 2007 | 13.5 | 17.1 |
| 2006 | 15.2 | 25.8 |
| 2005 | 18.3 | 37.3 |
| 2004 | 21.1 | 62.9 |
| 2003 | 22 | 81.6 |
| 2002 | 23.4 | 96.4 |
| 2001 | 21 | 93.2 |
| 2000 | 18.2 | 86.7 |
| 1999 | 22.2 | 103 |
| 1998 | 29.6 | 101.5 |
| 1997 | 30.9 | 76.7 |
| 1996 | 29.3 | 75.2 |
| 1995 | – | 74.3 |
| 1994 | – | 67.9 |
| 1993 | – | 58.6 |
| 1992 | – | 47.8 |
| 1991 | – | 39.4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Iran | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39.1 | 35.4 |
| 2027 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| 2028 | 40.8 | 40.2 |
| 2029 | 41.7 | 43.1 |
| 2030 | 42.7 | 45.9 |
| 2031 | 43.4 | 48.7 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 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
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
- Armed forces personnelIran: 650,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- 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