Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 25,000 people in Kuwait and 282,000 people in Saudi Arabia, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 257,000 people, or 11 times that in Kuwait.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 25,000 | 282,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 25,000 | 252,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 24,500 | 252,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 25,000 | 252,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 22,600 | 251,500 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 22,600 | 251,500 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 22,600 | 251,500 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 22,600 | 251,500 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 22,600 | 249,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 22,600 | 249,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 22,600 | 249,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 22,600 | 249,000 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 23,000 | 238,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 23,000 | 238,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 23,000 | 240,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 23,000 | 216,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 21,000 | 214,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 22,100 | 215,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 22,100 | 215,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 20,500 | 217,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 20,300 | 217,000 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 20,300 | 178,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 20,300 | 178,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 20,300 | 178,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 20,800 | 178,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 21,600 | 177,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 15,000 | 164,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 12,000 | 172,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 12,000 | 172,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 10,000 | 191,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 7,000 | 146,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 20,000 | 82,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 12,000 | 62,500 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 15,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1983 | 13,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1982 | 13,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1981 | 12,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1980 | 12,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1979 | 11,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1978 | 10,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1977 | 10,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1976 | 25,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1975 | 25,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1974 | 15,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1973 | 14,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1972 | 14,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1971 | 14,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1970 | 10,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1969 | 10,000 | 60,000 | – |
| 1968 | 10,000 | 60,000 | – |
| 1967 | 8,000 | 50,000 | – |
| 1966 | 8,000 | 45,000 | – |
| 1965 | 8,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1964 | 2,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1963 | 2,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1962 | 1,000 | 37,000 | – |
| 1961 | 1,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1960 | – | 30,000 | – |
| 1959 | – | 30,000 | – |
| 1958 | – | 30,000 | – |
| 1957 | – | 31,000 | – |
| 1956 | – | 32,000 | – |
| 1955 | – | 33,000 | – |
| 1954 | – | 34,000 | – |
| 1953 | – | 9,000 | – |
| 1952 | – | 8,000 | – |
| 1951 | – | 7,000 | – |
| 1950 | – | 6,000 | – |
| 1949 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1948 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1947 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1946 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1945 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1944 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1943 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1942 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1941 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1940 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1939 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1938 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1937 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1936 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1935 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1934 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1933 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1932 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1931 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1930 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1929 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1928 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1927 | – | 4,000 | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, 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
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyKuwait: 80.4 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKuwait: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKuwait: 7.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKuwait: 3.64% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateKuwait: 2.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKuwait: 4.84 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthKuwait: 1.88% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKuwait: 1.53 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKuwait: 100% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageKuwait: 34.5 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKuwait: 3% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateKuwait: 10.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingKuwait: 4.69% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsKuwait: $7.92B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personKuwait: $1,623 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKuwait: 10.1% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- National powerKuwait: 0.2% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKuwait: 1.03% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKuwait: 311 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsKuwait: 95 million TIV in 1998Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023