Qatar vs Saudi Arabia

Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending

Military spending: 6.5% of GDP in Qatar in 2022 and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Qatar, by 0.78 percentage points, or 1.14 times that in Saudi Arabia.

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% of GDP · SIPRI

Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Military spendingMilitary spending: 6.5% of GDP in Qatar in 2022 and 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Qatar, by 0.78 percentage points, or 1.14 times that in Saudi Arabia.
QatarSaudi ArabiaSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • Qatar has been higher since 2021, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearQatarSaudi Arabia
2025–6.48
2024–6.41
2023–6.38
20226.55.72
20216.456.43
2020–8.41
2019–7.35
2018–8.42
2017–9.5
2016–9.24
2015–12.57
2014–10.26
2013–8.71
2012–7.51
2011–7.13
20101.478.57
20091.999.62
20082.017.35
20071.968.53
20061.757.85
20051.997.73
20042.438.08
20033.338.69
20023.939.76
2001–11.42
2000–10.53
1999–11.38
1998–14.31
1997–11
1996–8.47
1995–9.28
1994–10.64
1993–12.47
1992–11.28
199113.0112.47
199010.7414.02
198913.0813.39
198816.2715.15
198715.8916.9
198524.8517
198412.7319
198313.9616.97
198219.2817.72
198112.2213.27
19807.8712.61
1979–15.77
1978–16.74
1977–15.65
1973–10.84
1972–10.08
1971–8.64
1970–9.4
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

Qatar vs Saudi Arabia

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