Iran vs United States
Iran vs United States: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.09% of GDP in Iran and 3.12% of GDP in United States, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 1.03 percentage points, or 1.49 times that in Iran.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- United States has been higher since 1989, when it overtook Iran.
- In 2025, Iran ranked 54 and United States ranked 23 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Iran | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.09 | 3.12 |
| 2024 | 2.22 | 3.43 |
| 2023 | 2.49 | 3.29 |
| 2022 | 2.24 | 3.3 |
| 2021 | 2.32 | 3.4 |
| 2020 | 2.18 | 3.64 |
| 2019 | 2.15 | 3.41 |
| 2018 | 2.36 | 3.3 |
| 2017 | 2.84 | 3.3 |
| 2016 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
| 2015 | 2.56 | 3.46 |
| 2014 | 2.12 | 3.68 |
| 2013 | 2.18 | 4.02 |
| 2012 | 2.69 | 4.46 |
| 2011 | 2.38 | 4.82 |
| 2010 | 2.79 | 4.9 |
| 2009 | 3.05 | 4.88 |
| 2008 | 2.68 | 4.45 |
| 2007 | 2.65 | 4.07 |
| 2006 | 3.32 | 4.04 |
| 2005 | 3.04 | 4.09 |
| 2004 | 2.84 | 4.02 |
| 2003 | 2.41 | 3.83 |
| 2002 | 2.18 | 3.45 |
| 2001 | 2.42 | 3.12 |
| 2000 | 2.3 | 3.11 |
| 1999 | 2.41 | 3.09 |
| 1998 | 2.63 | 3.2 |
| 1997 | 2.5 | 3.41 |
| 1996 | 2.25 | 3.56 |
| 1995 | 2.15 | 3.86 |
| 1994 | 2.07 | 4.22 |
| 1993 | 1.7 | 4.6 |
| 1992 | 1.79 | 4.97 |
| 1991 | 2.17 | 4.88 |
| 1990 | 2.94 | 5.61 |
| 1989 | 4.56 | 5.87 |
| 1988 | 6.27 | 6.07 |
| 1987 | 5.89 | 6.42 |
| 1986 | 6.08 | 6.63 |
| 1985 | 6.51 | 6.45 |
| 1984 | 6.36 | 6.24 |
| 1983 | 7.1 | 6.32 |
| 1982 | 7.91 | 6.81 |
| 1981 | 8.19 | 5.65 |
| 1980 | 5.34 | 5.15 |
| 1979 | 5.8 | 4.95 |
| 1978 | 11.11 | 4.94 |
| 1977 | 10.19 | 5.16 |
| 1976 | 11.25 | 5.19 |
| 1975 | 12.07 | 5.62 |
| 1974 | 8.75 | 5.95 |
| 1973 | 1.87 | 5.89 |
| 1972 | 2.28 | 6.52 |
| 1971 | 3.05 | 6.94 |
| 1970 | 5.86 | 8.03 |
| 1969 | 5.97 | 8.63 |
| 1968 | 5.18 | 9.27 |
| 1967 | 4.46 | 9.42 |
| 1966 | 3.82 | 8.44 |
| 1965 | 3.25 | 7.59 |
| 1964 | 2.88 | 8.05 |
| 1963 | 2.59 | 8.83 |
| 1962 | 2.31 | 9.33 |
| 1961 | 2.35 | 9.16 |
| 1960 | 2.3 | 8.99 |
| 1959 | – | 9.44 |
| 1958 | – | 10.07 |
| 1957 | – | 9.99 |
| 1956 | – | 9.9 |
| 1955 | – | 10.16 |
| 1954 | – | 11.74 |
| 1953 | – | 13.58 |
| 1952 | – | 13.86 |
| 1951 | – | 10.17 |
| 1950 | – | 5.08 |
| 1949 | – | 5.27 |
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.
- 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 United States
Health
- Life expectancyIran: 77.7 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIran: 94.2% in 2022United States: 97.5% in 2022
- DepressionIran: 5.12% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateIran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIran: 90.6 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthIran: 1.12% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIran: 77.4% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageIran: 32.9 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIran: 7.9% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateIran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsIran: $7.45B in 2025United States: $929B in 2025
- Military spending per personIran: $80 in 2025United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025United States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIran: 650,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerIran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIran: 42 million TIV in 2024United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIran: 80 million TIV in 2025United States: 14 billion TIV in 2025