Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia and 868 million TIV in United Arab Emirates, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 2.17 billion TIV, or 3.5 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2014, when it overtook United Arab Emirates.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked 1 and United Arab Emirates ranked 9 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	United Arab Emirates	World
2025	3.04 billion	868 million	33.3 billion
2024	1.24 billion	1.09 billion	30.6 billion
2023	1.33 billion	918 million	29.5 billion
2022	3.05 billion	756 million	33 billion
2021	1.75 billion	577 million	26.8 billion
2020	2.24 billion	660 million	23.4 billion
2019	3.03 billion	750 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.94 billion	1.17 billion	27.3 billion
2017	3.85 billion	909 million	31.2 billion
2016	2.91 billion	1.49 billion	31.4 billion
2015	3.47 billion	1.69 billion	28.7 billion
2014	2.72 billion	736 million	27 billion
2013	1.69 billion	2.32 billion	27.4 billion
2012	835 million	1.14 billion	27.9 billion
2011	1.18 billion	1.22 billion	29.9 billion
2010	1.11 billion	650 million	25.8 billion
2009	828 million	604 million	24 billion
2008	389 million	730 million	24.1 billion
2007	229 million	819 million	26.5 billion
2006	207 million	1.93 billion	24.4 billion
2005	166 million	2.07 billion	21.3 billion
2004	1.16 billion	1.15 billion	21.3 billion
2003	158 million	676 million	19.2 billion
2002	559 million	223 million	17.7 billion
2001	59 million	186 million	18.3 billion
2000	104 million	244 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.58 billion	441 million	25.3 billion
1998	2.89 billion	757 million	27.9 billion
1997	2.79 billion	690 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.73 billion	481 million	23.7 billion
1995	985 million	426 million	22.9 billion
1994	981 million	571 million	22.8 billion
1993	2.35 billion	582 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.15 billion	205 million	24.3 billion
1991	1.04 billion	237 million	27.8 billion
1990	2.04 billion	561 million	28.6 billion
1989	1.38 billion	663 million	31.7 billion
1988	784 million	45 million	32.9 billion
1987	2.01 billion	195 million	36.2 billion
1986	2.84 billion	132 million	35.5 billion
1985	1.31 billion	145 million	33.2 billion
1984	824 million	310 million	36.8 billion
1983	1.82 billion	163 million	39.1 billion
1982	2.22 billion	155 million	41.4 billion
1981	1.82 billion	420 million	42 billion
1980	1.09 billion	213 million	37.4 billion
1979	767 million	39 million	33.3 billion
1978	1.01 billion	230 million	39.2 billion
1977	1.02 billion	310 million	37 billion
1976	702 million	275 million	33 billion
1975	372 million	145 million	34.2 billion
1974	547 million	100 million	32.9 billion
1973	202 million	88 million	32.6 billion
1972	130 million	28 million	28.7 billion
1971	10 million	24 million	29.3 billion
1970	87 million	67 million	22.1 billion
1969	416 million	12 million	24.7 billion
1968	448 million	13 million	22.4 billion
1967	222 million	–	22.1 billion
1966	227 million	–	22.4 billion
1965	48 million	–	23.1 billion
1964	5 million	–	24.2 billion
1963	–	–	18.1 billion
1962	22 million	–	15.5 billion
1961	8 million	–	15 billion
1960	6 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 United Arab Emirates

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSaudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022