Iran vs Saudi Arabia

Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending

Military spending in 2025: 2.09% of GDP in Iran and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 4.39 percentage points, or 3.1 times that in Iran.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · SIPRI

Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Military spendingMilitary spending in 2025: 2.09% of GDP in Iran and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 4.39 percentage points, or 3.1 times that in Iran.
IranSaudi ArabiaSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1963.
  • In 2025, Iran ranked 54 and Saudi Arabia ranked 5 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearIranSaudi Arabia
20252.096.48
20242.226.41
20232.496.38
20222.245.72
20212.326.43
20202.188.41
20192.157.35
20182.368.42
20172.849.5
20162.89.24
20152.5612.57
20142.1210.26
20132.188.71
20122.697.51
20112.387.13
20102.798.57
20093.059.62
20082.687.35
20072.658.53
20063.327.85
20053.047.73
20042.848.08
20032.418.69
20022.189.76
20012.4211.42
20002.310.53
19992.4111.38
19982.6314.31
19972.511
19962.258.47
19952.159.28
19942.0710.64
19931.712.47
19921.7911.28
19912.1712.47
19902.9414.02
19894.5613.39
19886.2715.15
19875.8916.9
19866.08–
19856.5117
19846.3619
19837.116.97
19827.9117.72
19818.1913.27
19805.3412.61
19795.815.77
197811.1116.74
197710.1915.65
197611.25–
197512.07–
19748.75–
19731.8710.84
19722.2810.08
19713.058.64
19705.869.4
19695.979.57
19685.188.09
19674.4611.51
19663.8211.32
19653.257.69
19642.885.97
19632.595.9
19622.31–
19612.35–
19602.3–
  • Estimate

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

Iran vs Saudi Arabia

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