Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 311 million TIV in Kuwait and 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 2.73 billion TIV, or 9.78 times that in Kuwait.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

KuwaitSaudi ArabiaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2008, when it overtook Kuwait.
In 2025, Kuwait ranked 31 and Saudi Arabia ranked 1 of 110 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	World
2025	311 million	3.04 billion	33.3 billion
2024	388 million	1.24 billion	30.6 billion
2023	497 million	1.33 billion	29.5 billion
2022	1.57 billion	3.05 billion	33 billion
2021	1.57 billion	1.75 billion	26.8 billion
2020	67 million	2.24 billion	23.4 billion
2019	55 million	3.03 billion	26.9 billion
2018	96 million	2.94 billion	27.3 billion
2017	113 million	3.85 billion	31.2 billion
2016	147 million	2.91 billion	31.4 billion
2015	317 million	3.47 billion	28.7 billion
2014	701 million	2.72 billion	27 billion
2013	73 million	1.69 billion	27.4 billion
2012	31 million	835 million	27.9 billion
2011	116 million	1.18 billion	29.9 billion
2010	87 million	1.11 billion	25.8 billion
2009	8 million	828 million	24 billion
2008	5 million	389 million	24.1 billion
2007	288 million	229 million	26.5 billion
2006	5 million	207 million	24.4 billion
2005	12 million	166 million	21.3 billion
2004	2 million	1.16 billion	21.3 billion
2003	42 million	158 million	19.2 billion
2002	22 million	559 million	17.7 billion
2001	67 million	59 million	18.3 billion
2000	226 million	104 million	20.5 billion
1999	198 million	1.58 billion	25.3 billion
1998	46 million	2.89 billion	27.9 billion
1997	482 million	2.79 billion	28.9 billion
1996	1.21 billion	1.73 billion	23.7 billion
1995	646 million	985 million	22.9 billion
1994	36 million	981 million	22.8 billion
1993	694 million	2.35 billion	25.8 billion
1992	896 million	1.15 billion	24.3 billion
1991	515 million	1.04 billion	27.8 billion
1990	324 million	2.04 billion	28.6 billion
1989	132 million	1.38 billion	31.7 billion
1988	6 million	784 million	32.9 billion
1987	50 million	2.01 billion	36.2 billion
1986	167 million	2.84 billion	35.5 billion
1985	619 million	1.31 billion	33.2 billion
1984	454 million	824 million	36.8 billion
1983	251 million	1.82 billion	39.1 billion
1982	173 million	2.22 billion	41.4 billion
1981	13 million	1.82 billion	42 billion
1980	35 million	1.09 billion	37.4 billion
1979	223 million	767 million	33.3 billion
1978	504 million	1.01 billion	39.2 billion
1977	485 million	1.02 billion	37 billion
1976	230 million	702 million	33 billion
1975	77 million	372 million	34.2 billion
1974	5 million	547 million	32.9 billion
1973	4 million	202 million	32.6 billion
1972	30 million	130 million	28.7 billion
1971	109 million	10 million	29.3 billion
1970	59 million	87 million	22.1 billion
1969	126 million	416 million	24.7 billion
1968	104 million	448 million	22.4 billion
1967	–	222 million	22.1 billion
1966	11 million	227 million	22.4 billion
1965	23 million	48 million	23.1 billion
1964	56 million	5 million	24.2 billion
1963	5 million	–	18.1 billion
1962	10 million	22 million	15.5 billion
1961	4 million	8 million	15 billion
1960	44 million	6 million	15.7 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

Major weapons the country received, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV): what the arms are worth as military capability, priced by their production cost, not what was paid.
Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, via the World Bank.
Ranks count the 110 countries with a value in 2025, 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: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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