Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia
Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending per person
Military spending per person in 2025: $1,623 in Kuwait and $2,428 in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by $805, or 1.5 times that in Kuwait.
US dollars per person · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Kuwait.
- In 2025, Kuwait ranked 8 and Saudi Arabia ranked 6 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
US dollars per person · SIPRI
| Year | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,623 | $2,428 |
| 2024 | $1,597 | $2,386 |
| 2023 | $1,618 | $2,366 |
| 2022 | $1,880 | $2,253 |
| 2021 | $2,081 | $2,027 |
| 2020 | $1,555 | $2,095 |
| 2019 | $1,668 | $2,169 |
| 2018 | $1,695 | $2,439 |
| 2017 | $1,657 | $2,273 |
| 2016 | $1,642 | $2,090 |
| 2015 | $1,532 | $2,957 |
| 2014 | $1,625 | $2,833 |
| 2013 | $1,662 | $2,433 |
| 2012 | $1,830 | $2,125 |
| 2011 | $1,786 | $1,894 |
| 2010 | $1,512 | $1,833 |
| 2009 | $1,546 | $1,738 |
| 2008 | $1,717 | $1,675 |
| 2007 | $1,689 | $1,619 |
| 2006 | $1,569 | $1,408 |
| 2005 | $1,610 | $1,262 |
| 2004 | $1,617 | $1,088 |
| 2003 | $1,501 | $1,022 |
| 2002 | $1,387 | $1,059 |
| 2001 | $1,355 | $1,266 |
| 2000 | $1,399 | $1,268 |
| 1999 | $1,221 | $1,206 |
| 1998 | $1,257 | $1,424 |
| 1997 | $1,395 | $1,285 |
| 1996 | $1,905 | $984 |
| 1995 | $2,222 | $1,014 |
| 1994 | $1,977 | $1,144 |
| 1993 | $1,777 | $1,377 |
| 1992 | $3,966 | $1,345 |
| 1991 | $11,640 | $1,501 |
| 1990 | $3,966 | $1,575 |
| 1989 | $955 | $1,291 |
| 1988 | $814 | $1,423 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence for each person living there, in US dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation.
- 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 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 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