Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom
Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 282,000 people in Saudi Arabia and 153,000 people in United Kingdom, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 129,000 people, or 1.84 times that in United Kingdom.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2006, when it overtook United Kingdom.
- In 2020, Saudi Arabia ranked 25 and United Kingdom ranked 41 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Saudi Arabia | United Kingdom | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 282,000 | 153,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 252,000 | 149,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 252,000 | 148,500 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 252,000 | 148,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 251,500 | 150,300 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 251,500 | 152,400 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 251,500 | 154,700 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 251,500 | 159,200 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 249,000 | 169,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 249,000 | 165,700 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 249,000 | 174,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 249,000 | 178,500 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 238,000 | 160,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 238,000 | 160,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 240,000 | 181,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 216,000 | 217,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 214,000 | 205,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 215,000 | 212,600 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 215,000 | 210,400 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 217,200 | 211,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 217,000 | 212,500 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 178,000 | 218,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 178,000 | 218,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 178,000 | 218,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 178,500 | 221,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 177,500 | 233,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 164,000 | 257,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 172,000 | 271,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 172,000 | 293,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 191,000 | 301,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 146,000 | 308,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 82,000 | 318,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 62,500 | 334,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 80,000 | 336,000 | – |
| 1983 | 80,000 | 333,000 | – |
| 1982 | 80,000 | 335,000 | – |
| 1981 | 79,000 | 341,000 | – |
| 1980 | 79,000 | 330,000 | – |
| 1979 | 79,000 | 324,000 | – |
| 1978 | 75,000 | 320,000 | – |
| 1977 | 75,000 | 326,000 | – |
| 1976 | 75,000 | 337,000 | – |
| 1975 | 75,000 | 348,000 | – |
| 1974 | 75,000 | 359,000 | – |
| 1973 | 75,000 | 377,000 | – |
| 1972 | 75,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1971 | 75,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1970 | 65,000 | 390,000 | – |
| 1969 | 60,000 | 390,000 | – |
| 1968 | 60,000 | 410,000 | – |
| 1967 | 50,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1966 | 45,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1965 | 40,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1964 | 40,000 | 435,000 | – |
| 1963 | 35,000 | 450,000 | – |
| 1962 | 37,000 | 475,000 | – |
| 1961 | 35,000 | 475,000 | – |
| 1960 | 30,000 | 519,000 | – |
| 1959 | 30,000 | 565,000 | – |
| 1958 | 30,000 | 614,000 | – |
| 1957 | 31,000 | 702,000 | – |
| 1956 | 32,000 | 761,000 | – |
| 1955 | 33,000 | 809,000 | – |
| 1954 | 34,000 | 839,000 | – |
| 1953 | 9,000 | 865,000 | – |
| 1952 | 8,000 | 872,000 | – |
| 1951 | 7,000 | 826,000 | – |
| 1950 | 6,000 | 689,000 | – |
| 1949 | 5,000 | 770,000 | – |
| 1948 | 4,000 | 847,000 | – |
| 1947 | 4,000 | 1.3 million | – |
| 1946 | 4,000 | 2.05 million | – |
| 1945 | 4,000 | 5.09 million | – |
| 1944 | 4,000 | 4.9 million | – |
| 1943 | 4,000 | 4.15 million | – |
| 1942 | 4,000 | 3.39 million | – |
| 1941 | 4,000 | 2.3 million | – |
| 1940 | 4,000 | 1.02 million | – |
| 1939 | 4,000 | 394,000 | – |
| 1938 | 4,000 | 376,000 | – |
| 1937 | 4,000 | 350,000 | – |
| 1936 | 4,000 | 336,000 | – |
| 1935 | 4,000 | 321,000 | – |
| 1934 | 4,000 | 318,000 | – |
| 1933 | 4,000 | 316,000 | – |
| 1932 | 4,000 | 317,000 | – |
| 1931 | 4,000 | 319,000 | – |
| 1930 | 4,000 | 318,000 | – |
| 1929 | 4,000 | 325,000 | – |
| 1928 | 4,000 | 330,000 | – |
| 1927 | 4,000 | 338,000 | – |
| 1926 | – | 341,000 | – |
| 1925 | – | 342,000 | – |
| 1924 | – | 337,000 | – |
| 1923 | – | 337,000 | – |
| 1922 | – | 368,000 | – |
| 1921 | – | 448,000 | – |
| 1920 | – | 596,000 | – |
| 1919 | – | 1.33 million | – |
| 1918 | – | 4.22 million | – |
| 1917 | – | 4.43 million | – |
| 1915 | – | 4.35 million | – |
| 1914 | – | 532,000 | – |
| 1913 | – | 533,000 | – |
| 1912 | – | 523,000 | – |
| 1911 | – | 376,000 | – |
| 1910 | – | 372,000 | – |
| 1909 | – | 381,000 | – |
| 1908 | – | 364,000 | – |
| 1907 | – | 369,000 | – |
| 1906 | – | 384,000 | – |
| 1905 | – | 394,000 | – |
| 1904 | – | 409,000 | – |
| 1903 | – | 416,000 | – |
| 1902 | – | 489,000 | – |
| 1901 | – | 521,000 | – |
| 1900 | – | 487,000 | – |
| 1899 | – | 331,000 | – |
| 1898 | – | 331,000 | – |
| 1897 | – | 319,000 | – |
| 1896 | – | 315,000 | – |
| 1895 | – | 309,000 | – |
| 1894 | – | 302,000 | – |
| 1893 | – | 294,000 | – |
| 1892 | – | 288,000 | – |
| 1891 | – | 281,000 | – |
| 1890 | – | 278,000 | – |
| 1889 | – | 275,000 | – |
| 1888 | – | 273,000 | – |
| 1887 | – | 273,000 | – |
| 1886 | – | 265,000 | – |
| 1885 | – | 256,000 | – |
| 1884 | – | 240,000 | – |
| 1883 | – | 239,000 | – |
| 1882 | – | 247,000 | – |
| 1881 | – | 247,000 | – |
| 1880 | – | 248,000 | – |
| 1879 | – | 260,000 | – |
| 1878 | – | 261,000 | – |
| 1877 | – | 251,000 | – |
| 1876 | – | 244,000 | – |
| 1875 | – | 245,000 | – |
| 1874 | – | 248,000 | – |
| 1873 | – | 252,000 | – |
| 1872 | – | 254,000 | – |
| 1871 | – | 241,000 | – |
| 1870 | – | 257,000 | – |
| 1869 | – | 270,000 | – |
| 1868 | – | 279,000 | – |
| 1867 | – | 283,000 | – |
| 1866 | – | 286,000 | – |
| 1865 | – | 296,000 | – |
| 1864 | – | 290,000 | – |
| 1863 | – | 312,000 | – |
| 1862 | – | 305,000 | – |
| 1861 | – | 316,000 | – |
| 1860 | – | 347,000 | – |
| 1859 | – | 315,000 | – |
| 1858 | – | 292,000 | – |
| 1857 | – | 272,000 | – |
| 1856 | – | 382,000 | – |
| 1855 | – | 329,000 | – |
| 1854 | – | 234,000 | – |
| 1853 | – | 213,000 | – |
| 1852 | – | 201,000 | – |
| 1851 | – | 198,000 | – |
| 1850 | – | 201,000 | – |
| 1849 | – | 203,000 | – |
| 1848 | – | 208,000 | – |
| 1847 | – | 193,000 | – |
| 1846 | – | 191,000 | – |
| 1845 | – | 178,000 | – |
| 1844 | – | 185,000 | – |
| 1843 | – | 158,000 | – |
| 1842 | – | 184,000 | – |
| 1841 | – | 173,000 | – |
| 1840 | – | 168,000 | – |
| 1839 | – | 159,000 | – |
| 1838 | – | 155,000 | – |
| 1837 | – | 143,000 | – |
| 1836 | – | 143,000 | – |
| 1835 | – | 136,000 | – |
| 1834 | – | 137,000 | – |
| 1833 | – | 144,000 | – |
| 1832 | – | 145,000 | – |
| 1831 | – | 150,000 | – |
| 1830 | – | 140,000 | – |
| 1829 | – | 148,000 | – |
| 1828 | – | 155,000 | – |
| 1827 | – | 155,000 | – |
| 1826 | – | 149,000 | – |
| 1825 | – | 132,000 | – |
| 1824 | – | 132,000 | – |
| 1823 | – | 125,000 | – |
| 1822 | – | 125,000 | – |
| 1821 | – | 139,000 | – |
| 1820 | – | 144,000 | – |
| 1819 | – | 143,000 | – |
| 1818 | – | 173,000 | – |
| 1817 | – | 190,000 | – |
| 1816 | – | 255,000 | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, 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 Kingdom
Health
- Life expectancySaudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023United Kingdom: 81.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySaudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024United Kingdom: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySaudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023United Kingdom: 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSaudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017United Kingdom: 4.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateSaudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017United Kingdom: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSaudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023United Kingdom: 68.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthSaudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023United Kingdom: 0.7% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSaudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023United Kingdom: 1.56 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSaudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025United Kingdom: 83.3% in 2025
- Median ageSaudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023United Kingdom: 39.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSaudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023United Kingdom: 19.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSaudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023United Kingdom: 6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
- GDP per personSaudi Arabia: $25,070 in 2025United Kingdom: $48,420 in 2025
- GDP growthSaudi Arabia: 4.6% a year in 2025United Kingdom: 1.2% a year in 2025
- InflationSaudi Arabia: 2% a year in 2025United Kingdom: 3.4% a year in 2025
- Government debtSaudi Arabia: 31.8% of GDP in 2025United Kingdom: 102.1% of GDP in 2025
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSaudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025United Kingdom: 2.35% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSaudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025United Kingdom: $88B in 2025
- Military spending per personSaudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025United Kingdom: $1,283 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSaudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025United Kingdom: 5.4% of government spending in 2025
- National powerSaudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022United Kingdom: 1.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSaudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020United Kingdom: 0.45% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSaudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025United Kingdom: 609 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSaudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023United Kingdom: 702 million TIV in 2025