Saudi Arabia vs South Korea: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia and 222 million TIV in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 2.82 billion TIV, or 14 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Saudi ArabiaSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2013, when it overtook South Korea.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked 1 and South Korea ranked 35 of 110 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Saudi Arabia	South Korea	World
2025	3.04 billion	222 million	33.3 billion
2024	1.24 billion	1.03 billion	30.6 billion
2023	1.33 billion	218 million	29.5 billion
2022	3.05 billion	423 million	33 billion
2021	1.75 billion	812 million	26.8 billion
2020	2.24 billion	1.27 billion	23.4 billion
2019	3.03 billion	1.61 billion	26.9 billion
2018	2.94 billion	1.03 billion	27.3 billion
2017	3.85 billion	962 million	31.2 billion
2016	2.91 billion	1.04 billion	31.4 billion
2015	3.47 billion	268 million	28.7 billion
2014	2.72 billion	742 million	27 billion
2013	1.69 billion	189 million	27.4 billion
2012	835 million	1.08 billion	27.9 billion
2011	1.18 billion	1.57 billion	29.9 billion
2010	1.11 billion	1.3 billion	25.8 billion
2009	828 million	798 million	24 billion
2008	389 million	1.69 billion	24.1 billion
2007	229 million	1.73 billion	26.5 billion
2006	207 million	1.66 billion	24.4 billion
2005	166 million	801 million	21.3 billion
2004	1.16 billion	1.06 billion	21.3 billion
2003	158 million	767 million	19.2 billion
2002	559 million	519 million	17.7 billion
2001	59 million	768 million	18.3 billion
2000	104 million	1.39 billion	20.5 billion
1999	1.58 billion	1.64 billion	25.3 billion
1998	2.89 billion	1.42 billion	27.9 billion
1997	2.79 billion	1.22 billion	28.9 billion
1996	1.73 billion	1.97 billion	23.7 billion
1995	985 million	1.95 billion	22.9 billion
1994	981 million	1.01 billion	22.8 billion
1993	2.35 billion	1.01 billion	25.8 billion
1992	1.15 billion	782 million	24.3 billion
1991	1.04 billion	908 million	27.8 billion
1990	2.04 billion	1.2 billion	28.6 billion
1989	1.38 billion	1.84 billion	31.7 billion
1988	784 million	1.24 billion	32.9 billion
1987	2.01 billion	773 million	36.2 billion
1986	2.84 billion	857 million	35.5 billion
1985	1.31 billion	760 million	33.2 billion
1984	824 million	524 million	36.8 billion
1983	1.82 billion	496 million	39.1 billion
1982	2.22 billion	673 million	41.4 billion
1981	1.82 billion	872 million	42 billion
1980	1.09 billion	877 million	37.4 billion
1979	767 million	1.32 billion	33.3 billion
1978	1.01 billion	399 million	39.2 billion
1977	1.02 billion	1.2 billion	37 billion
1976	702 million	556 million	33 billion
1975	372 million	661 million	34.2 billion
1974	547 million	458 million	32.9 billion
1973	202 million	269 million	32.6 billion
1972	130 million	413 million	28.7 billion
1971	10 million	250 million	29.3 billion
1970	87 million	100 million	22.1 billion
1969	416 million	586 million	24.7 billion
1968	448 million	359 million	22.4 billion
1967	222 million	137 million	22.1 billion
1966	227 million	578 million	22.4 billion
1965	48 million	632 million	23.1 billion
1964	5 million	332 million	24.2 billion
1963	–	214 million	18.1 billion
1962	22 million	65 million	15.5 billion
1961	8 million	113 million	15 billion
1960	6 million	122 million	15.7 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

Major weapons the country received, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV): what the arms are worth as military capability, priced by their production cost, not what was paid.
Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, via the World Bank.
Ranks count the 110 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Saudi Arabia vs South Korea: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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