Nigeria vs Saudi Arabia
Nigeria vs Saudi Arabia: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending in 2025: 5.9% of government spending in Nigeria and 23.5% of government spending in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 17.6 percentage points, or 3.99 times that in Nigeria.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- In 2025, Nigeria ranked 58 and Saudi Arabia ranked 3 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Nigeria | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.9 | 23.5 |
| 2024 | 3.7 | 21.9 |
| 2023 | 6 | 22.6 |
| 2022 | 4.5 | 22.7 |
| 2021 | 8.1 | 22.8 |
| 2020 | 5.2 | 22.5 |
| 2019 | 3.7 | 23.2 |
| 2018 | 4 | 25.9 |
| 2017 | 3.6 | 30.7 |
| 2016 | 4.4 | 27.8 |
| 2015 | 3.8 | 32.7 |
| 2014 | 3.1 | 26.6 |
| 2013 | 3.3 | 25.3 |
| 2012 | 3.4 | 23.1 |
| 2011 | 3.3 | 22 |
| 2010 | 3.3 | 26 |
| 2009 | 3.3 | 26 |
| 2008 | 3.4 | 27.6 |
| 2007 | 2 | 29 |
| 2006 | 2.8 | 28.8 |
| 2005 | 2.2 | 27.5 |
| 2004 | 2.7 | 26 |
| 2003 | 2.5 | 26.2 |
| 2002 | 4.9 | 27.2 |
| 2001 | 2.5 | 30.9 |
| 2000 | 2.2 | 31.8 |
| 1999 | – | 37.4 |
| 1998 | – | 41.2 |
| 1997 | – | 30.7 |
| 1996 | – | 25.3 |
| 1995 | – | 28.5 |
| 1994 | – | 31.3 |
| 1993 | – | 32.8 |
| 1992 | – | 27.3 |
| 1991 | – | 35.4 |
| 1990 | – | 35.4 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, 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 150 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
Nigeria vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023