Qatar vs Saudi Arabia

Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending: 26.9% of government spending in Qatar in 2022 and 23.5% of government spending in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Qatar, by 4.2 percentage points, or 1.19 times that in Saudi Arabia.

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% of government spending · SIPRI

Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Military share of state spendingMilitary share of state spending: 26.9% of government spending in Qatar in 2022 and 23.5% of government spending in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Qatar, by 4.2 percentage points, or 1.19 times that in Saudi Arabia.
QatarSaudi ArabiaSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • Qatar has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

YearQatarSaudi Arabia
2025–23.5
2024–21.9
2023–22.6
202226.922.7
20212222.8
2020–22.5
2019–23.2
2018–25.9
2017–30.7
2016–27.8
2015–32.7
2014–26.6
2013–25.3
2012–23.1
2011–22
20104.926
20096.126
20088.727.6
2007729
20066.228.8
20056.927.5
20048.426
200311.626.2
200212.527.2
2001–30.9
2000–31.8
1999–37.4
1998–41.2
1997–30.7
1996–25.3
1995–28.5
1994–31.3
1993–32.8
1992–27.3
199127.935.4
199025.335.4
  • 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

Qatar vs Saudi Arabia

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