Israel vs Syria
Israel vs Syria: Military spending
Military spending: 7.81% of GDP in Israel in 2025 and 4.06% of GDP in Syria in 2010, by SIPRI estimates. In 2010 the value was higher in Israel, by 1.66 percentage points, or 1.41 times that in Syria.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Israel has been higher since 2004, when it overtook Syria.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Israel | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7.81 | – |
| 2024 | 8.47 | – |
| 2023 | 5.28 | – |
| 2022 | 4.34 | – |
| 2021 | 4.81 | – |
| 2020 | 5.12 | – |
| 2019 | 4.96 | – |
| 2018 | 5.13 | – |
| 2017 | 5.27 | – |
| 2016 | 5.17 | – |
| 2015 | 5.28 | – |
| 2014 | 5.46 | – |
| 2013 | 5.28 | – |
| 2012 | 5.31 | – |
| 2011 | 5.43 | – |
| 2010 | 5.71 | 4.06 |
| 2009 | 5.92 | 4.03 |
| 2008 | 6.18 | 3.55 |
| 2007 | 6.09 | 4.1 |
| 2006 | 5.81 | 4.39 |
| 2005 | 5.98 | 5.03 |
| 2004 | 6.12 | 5.54 |
| 2003 | 6.2 | 6.25 |
| 2002 | 6.32 | 5.41 |
| 2001 | 6.21 | 5.48 |
| 2000 | 6.02 | 5.45 |
| 1999 | 6.22 | 5.81 |
| 1998 | 6.62 | 5.81 |
| 1997 | 7.08 | 5.88 |
| 1996 | 7.28 | 6.04 |
| 1995 | 7.43 | 6.95 |
| 1994 | 10.12 | 7.36 |
| 1993 | 11.52 | 7.24 |
| 1992 | 10.93 | 8.99 |
| 1991 | 15.59 | 10.43 |
| 1990 | 12.36 | 6.87 |
| 1989 | 12.45 | 7.97 |
| 1988 | 15.95 | 7.85 |
| 1987 | 16.9 | 11.22 |
| 1986 | 14.77 | 14.45 |
| 1985 | 16.6 | 16.56 |
| 1984 | 16.18 | 17.69 |
| 1983 | 15.55 | 14.64 |
| 1982 | 18.39 | 15.56 |
| 1981 | 20.26 | 14.55 |
| 1980 | 18.92 | 17.25 |
| 1979 | 19.38 | 15.93 |
| 1978 | 22.89 | 14.71 |
| 1977 | 23.09 | 14.5 |
| 1976 | 29.25 | 14.73 |
| 1975 | 30.46 | 15.95 |
| 1974 | 27.66 | 12.66 |
| 1973 | 27.86 | 15.07 |
| 1972 | 20.37 | 10.77 |
| 1971 | 22.8 | 8.44 |
| 1970 | 23.45 | 11.22 |
| 1969 | 19.09 | 10.83 |
| 1968 | 17.43 | 12.16 |
| 1967 | 15.44 | 8.21 |
| 1966 | 9.44 | 7.75 |
| 1965 | 8.57 | 8.88 |
| 1964 | 8.99 | 8.64 |
| 1963 | 9.75 | – |
| 1962 | 9.16 | 13.47 |
| 1961 | 7.87 | 9.55 |
| 1960 | 7.46 | 10.52 |
- 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
Israel vs Syria
Health
- Life expectancyIsrael: 82.4 years in 2023Syria: 72.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIsrael: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Syria: 1.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIsrael: 2.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023Syria: 16.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIsrael: 3.83% in 2017Syria: 3.58% in 2017
- Suicide rateIsrael: 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Syria: 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIsrael: 9.26 million people in 2023Syria: 23.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthIsrael: 1.42% a year in 2023Syria: 4.92% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIsrael: 2.83 births per woman in 2023Syria: 2.71 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIsrael: 91.6% in 2025Syria: 72.1% in 2025
- Median ageIsrael: 29.2 years in 2023Syria: 22.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIsrael: 12.4% in 2023Syria: 4.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateIsrael: 1.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Syria: 32.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending per personIsrael: $5,108 in 2025Syria: $110 in 2011
- Military share of state spendingIsrael: 17.8% of government spending in 2025Syria: 13.6% of government spending in 2010
- Armed forces personnelIsrael: 178,000 people in 2020Syria: 269,000 people in 2020
- National powerIsrael: 0.38% of world capability in 2022Syria: 0.29% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIsrael: 4.23% of the labour force in 2020Syria: 5.44% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIsrael: 537 million TIV in 2025Syria: 2 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIsrael: 2.62 billion TIV in 2025Syria: 30 million TIV in 2010