Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending: 23.5% of government spending in Saudi Arabia in 2025 and 17% of government spending in United Arab Emirates in 2014, by SIPRI estimates. In 2014 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 9.5 percentage points, or 1.56 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of government spending · SIPRI

Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2005, when it overtook United Arab Emirates.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

Year	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
2025	23.5	–
2024	21.9	–
2023	22.6	–
2022	22.7	–
2021	22.8	–
2020	22.5	–
2019	23.2	–
2018	25.9	–
2017	30.7	–
2016	27.8	–
2015	32.7	–
2014	26.6	17
2013	25.3	19.9
2012	23.1	17.4
2011	22	17.6
2010	26	18.7
2009	26	15.6
2008	27.6	16.7
2007	29	18.6
2006	28.8	20.6
2005	27.5	23.2
2004	26	26
2003	26.2	23.4
2002	27.2	22.9
2001	30.9	22.3
2000	31.8	26.2
1999	37.4	20.7
1998	41.2	20.6
1997	30.7	19.2
1996	25.3	–
1995	28.5	–
1994	31.3	–
1993	32.8	–
1992	27.3	–
1991	35.4	–
1990	35.4	–

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

Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

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