Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 4.69% of GDP in Kuwait and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 1.79 percentage points, or 1.38 times that in Kuwait.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 1997, when it overtook Kuwait.
- In 2025, Kuwait ranked 9 and Saudi Arabia ranked 5 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.69 | 6.48 |
| 2024 | 4.44 | 6.41 |
| 2023 | 4.28 | 6.38 |
| 2022 | 4.48 | 5.72 |
| 2021 | 6.07 | 6.43 |
| 2020 | 6.27 | 8.41 |
| 2019 | 5.24 | 7.35 |
| 2018 | 5.19 | 8.42 |
| 2017 | 5.61 | 9.5 |
| 2016 | 5.89 | 9.24 |
| 2015 | 5.01 | 12.57 |
| 2014 | 3.59 | 10.26 |
| 2013 | 3.27 | 8.71 |
| 2012 | 3.41 | 7.51 |
| 2011 | 3.5 | 7.13 |
| 2010 | 3.76 | 8.57 |
| 2009 | 3.97 | 9.62 |
| 2008 | 3.01 | 7.35 |
| 2007 | 3.59 | 8.53 |
| 2006 | 3.54 | 7.85 |
| 2005 | 4.34 | 7.73 |
| 2004 | 5.8 | 8.08 |
| 2003 | 6.54 | 8.69 |
| 2002 | 7.4 | 9.76 |
| 2001 | 7.7 | 11.42 |
| 2000 | 7.15 | 10.53 |
| 1999 | 7.59 | 11.38 |
| 1998 | 8.8 | 14.31 |
| 1997 | 8.09 | 11 |
| 1996 | 10.29 | 8.47 |
| 1995 | 13.58 | 9.28 |
| 1994 | 13.26 | 10.64 |
| 1993 | 12.44 | 12.47 |
| 1992 | 31.79 | 11.28 |
| 1991 | 117.3 | 12.47 |
| 1990 | 48.52 | 14.02 |
| 1989 | 8.54 | 13.39 |
| 1988 | 8.24 | 15.15 |
| 1987 | 5.98 | 16.9 |
| 1986 | 7.24 | – |
| 1985 | 6.43 | 17 |
| 1984 | 6.76 | 19 |
| 1983 | 6.83 | 16.97 |
| 1982 | 5.95 | 17.72 |
| 1981 | 4.13 | 13.27 |
| 1980 | 3.31 | 12.61 |
| 1979 | 3.55 | 15.77 |
| 1978 | 4.76 | 16.74 |
| 1977 | 5.29 | 15.65 |
| 1974 | 2.96 | – |
| 1973 | 2.53 | 10.84 |
| 1972 | 2.04 | 10.08 |
| 1971 | 1.89 | 8.64 |
| 1970 | 2.39 | 9.4 |
| 1969 | – | 9.57 |
| 1968 | – | 8.09 |
| 1967 | – | 11.51 |
| 1966 | – | 11.32 |
| 1965 | – | 7.69 |
| 1964 | – | 5.97 |
| 1963 | – | 5.9 |
- 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
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 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
- Armed forces personnelKuwait: 25,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- 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