Pakistan vs Saudi Arabia
Pakistan vs Saudi Arabia: National power
National power in 2022: 1.77% of world capability in Pakistan and 1.34% of world capability in Saudi Arabia, by Correlates of War estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Pakistan, by 0.43 percentage points, or 1.32 times that in Saudi Arabia.
% of world capability · Correlates of War
What the numbers say
- Pakistan has been higher since 2016, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
- In 2022, Pakistan ranked 9 and Saudi Arabia ranked 13 of 195 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of world capability · Correlates of War
| Year | Pakistan | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1.77 | 1.34 |
| 2021 | 1.8 | 1.23 |
| 2020 | 1.77 | 1.25 |
| 2019 | 1.77 | 1.53 |
| 2018 | 1.8 | 1.67 |
| 2017 | 1.8 | 1.61 |
| 2016 | 1.51 | 1.47 |
| 2015 | 1.48 | 1.72 |
| 2014 | 1.45 | 1.65 |
| 2013 | 1.43 | 1.41 |
| 2012 | 1.45 | 1.39 |
| 2011 | 1.42 | 1.28 |
| 2010 | 1.4 | 1.28 |
| 2009 | 1.4 | 1.24 |
| 2008 | 1.41 | 1.19 |
| 2007 | 1.43 | 1.19 |
| 2006 | 1.42 | 1.15 |
| 2005 | 1.41 | 1.12 |
| 2004 | 1.39 | 1.04 |
| 2003 | 1.38 | 1.02 |
| 2002 | 1.37 | 1.06 |
| 2001 | 1.33 | 1.17 |
| 2000 | 1.33 | 1.12 |
| 1999 | 1.34 | 1.08 |
| 1998 | 1.35 | 1.07 |
| 1997 | 1.31 | 0.99 |
| 1996 | 1.27 | 1 |
| 1995 | 1.25 | 0.96 |
| 1994 | 1.24 | 0.93 |
| 1993 | 1.23 | 1.02 |
| 1992 | 1.21 | 0.92 |
| 1991 | 1.16 | 1.29 |
| 1990 | 1.08 | 0.95 |
| 1989 | 1.05 | 0.75 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0.67 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0.71 |
| 1986 | 0.99 | 0.74 |
| 1985 | 0.99 | 0.74 |
| 1984 | 0.97 | 0.79 |
| 1983 | 0.96 | 0.76 |
| 1982 | 1.03 | 0.88 |
| 1981 | 0.99 | 0.9 |
| 1980 | 0.94 | 0.78 |
| 1979 | 0.97 | 0.7 |
| 1978 | 0.95 | 0.6 |
| 1977 | 1 | 0.55 |
| 1976 | 0.99 | 0.51 |
| 1975 | 0.92 | 0.38 |
| 1974 | 0.84 | 0.3 |
| 1973 | 0.89 | 0.28 |
| 1972 | 0.81 | 0.25 |
| 1971 | 0.99 | 0.24 |
| 1970 | 1.33 | 0.23 |
| 1969 | 1.33 | 0.21 |
| 1968 | 1.31 | 0.21 |
| 1967 | 1.13 | 0.24 |
| 1966 | 1.11 | 0.17 |
| 1965 | 1.11 | 0.17 |
| 1964 | 1.09 | 0.16 |
| 1963 | 1.07 | 0.15 |
| 1962 | 1.05 | 0.16 |
| 1961 | 1.06 | 0.15 |
| 1960 | 1.03 | 0.14 |
| 1959 | 1.03 | 0.13 |
| 1958 | 1.02 | 0.15 |
| 1957 | 0.99 | 0.14 |
| 1956 | 0.98 | 0.16 |
| 1955 | 0.99 | 0.17 |
| 1954 | 1.01 | 0.18 |
| 1953 | 1.03 | 0.14 |
| 1952 | 1.04 | 0.13 |
| 1951 | 1.09 | 0.12 |
| 1950 | 1.13 | 0.14 |
| 1949 | 1.14 | 0.13 |
| 1948 | 1.18 | 0.11 |
| 1947 | 1.14 | 0.18 |
| 1946 | – | 0.18 |
| 1945 | – | 0.09 |
| 1944 | – | 0.07 |
| 1943 | – | 0.06 |
| 1942 | – | 0.06 |
| 1941 | – | 0.06 |
| 1940 | – | 0.06 |
| 1939 | – | 0.06 |
| 1938 | – | 0.05 |
| 1937 | – | 0.05 |
| 1936 | – | 0.05 |
| 1935 | – | 0.05 |
| 1934 | – | 0.05 |
| 1933 | – | 0.04 |
| 1932 | – | 0.05 |
| 1931 | – | 0.04 |
| 1930 | – | 0.04 |
| 1929 | – | 0.04 |
| 1928 | – | 0.04 |
| 1927 | – | 0.04 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The Correlates of War’s Composite Index of National Capability: the country’s share of the world’s military spending, soldiers, iron and steel, energy use, people and city dwellers, averaged.
- Source: 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 195 countries with a value in 2022, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Pakistan vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyPakistan: 67.7 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityPakistan: 5.6 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityPakistan: 49.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionPakistan: 3.33% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide ratePakistan: 4.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationPakistan: 248 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthPakistan: 1.48% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility ratePakistan: 3.61 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationPakistan: 39.5% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median agePakistan: 20.3 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overPakistan: 4.2% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration ratePakistan: -6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingPakistan: 2.91% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsPakistan: $11.5B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personPakistan: $47 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingPakistan: 13.8% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelPakistan: 943,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- Armed forces, share of workersPakistan: 1.25% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsPakistan: 706 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsPakistan: 127 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023