Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia and 609 million TIV in United Kingdom, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 2.43 billion TIV, or 5 times that in United Kingdom.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Saudi ArabiaUnited KingdomWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2009, when it overtook United Kingdom.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked 1 and United Kingdom ranked 16 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 Kingdom	World
2025	3.04 billion	609 million	33.3 billion
2024	1.24 billion	486 million	30.6 billion
2023	1.33 billion	469 million	29.5 billion
2022	3.05 billion	859 million	33 billion
2021	1.75 billion	886 million	26.8 billion
2020	2.24 billion	635 million	23.4 billion
2019	3.03 billion	402 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.94 billion	463 million	27.3 billion
2017	3.85 billion	1 billion	31.2 billion
2016	2.91 billion	288 million	31.4 billion
2015	3.47 billion	424 million	28.7 billion
2014	2.72 billion	217 million	27 billion
2013	1.69 billion	509 million	27.4 billion
2012	835 million	566 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.18 billion	347 million	29.9 billion
2010	1.11 billion	461 million	25.8 billion
2009	828 million	381 million	24 billion
2008	389 million	575 million	24.1 billion
2007	229 million	817 million	26.5 billion
2006	207 million	375 million	24.4 billion
2005	166 million	31 million	21.3 billion
2004	1.16 billion	212 million	21.3 billion
2003	158 million	770 million	19.2 billion
2002	559 million	721 million	17.7 billion
2001	59 million	1.29 billion	18.3 billion
2000	104 million	937 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.58 billion	132 million	25.3 billion
1998	2.89 billion	770 million	27.9 billion
1997	2.79 billion	513 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.73 billion	568 million	23.7 billion
1995	985 million	496 million	22.9 billion
1994	981 million	421 million	22.8 billion
1993	2.35 billion	796 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.15 billion	1.15 billion	24.3 billion
1991	1.04 billion	953 million	27.8 billion
1990	2.04 billion	130 million	28.6 billion
1989	1.38 billion	209 million	31.7 billion
1988	784 million	285 million	32.9 billion
1987	2.01 billion	207 million	36.2 billion
1986	2.84 billion	273 million	35.5 billion
1985	1.31 billion	355 million	33.2 billion
1984	824 million	682 million	36.8 billion
1983	1.82 billion	292 million	39.1 billion
1982	2.22 billion	766 million	41.4 billion
1981	1.82 billion	812 million	42 billion
1980	1.09 billion	557 million	37.4 billion
1979	767 million	232 million	33.3 billion
1978	1.01 billion	191 million	39.2 billion
1977	1.02 billion	262 million	37 billion
1976	702 million	251 million	33 billion
1975	372 million	337 million	34.2 billion
1974	547 million	319 million	32.9 billion
1973	202 million	239 million	32.6 billion
1972	130 million	222 million	28.7 billion
1971	10 million	176 million	29.3 billion
1970	87 million	70 million	22.1 billion
1969	416 million	2.7 billion	24.7 billion
1968	448 million	2.35 billion	22.4 billion
1967	222 million	1.44 billion	22.1 billion
1966	227 million	242 million	22.4 billion
1965	48 million	166 million	23.1 billion
1964	5 million	133 million	24.2 billion
1963	–	159 million	18.1 billion
1962	22 million	38 million	15.5 billion
1961	8 million	34 million	15 billion
1960	6 million	26 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 Kingdom

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Deaths in conflictsSaudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022United Kingdom: 0 deaths in 2022