Saudi Arabia vs Yemen
Saudi Arabia vs Yemen: Military spending
Military spending: 6.48% of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025 and 3.97% of GDP in Yemen in 2014, by SIPRI estimates. In 2014 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 6.29 percentage points, or 2.59 times that in Yemen.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1990.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Saudi Arabia | Yemen |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6.48 | – |
| 2024 | 6.41 | – |
| 2023 | 6.38 | – |
| 2022 | 5.72 | – |
| 2021 | 6.43 | – |
| 2020 | 8.41 | – |
| 2019 | 7.35 | – |
| 2018 | 8.42 | – |
| 2017 | 9.5 | – |
| 2016 | 9.24 | – |
| 2015 | 12.57 | – |
| 2014 | 10.26 | 3.97 |
| 2013 | 8.71 | 4.08 |
| 2012 | 7.51 | 4.57 |
| 2011 | 7.13 | 4.93 |
| 2010 | 8.57 | 4.69 |
| 2009 | 9.62 | 5.65 |
| 2008 | 7.35 | 4.45 |
| 2007 | 8.53 | 4.85 |
| 2006 | 7.85 | 4.31 |
| 2005 | 7.73 | 4.87 |
| 2004 | 8.08 | 5.3 |
| 2003 | 8.69 | 6.86 |
| 2002 | 9.76 | 6.9 |
| 2001 | 11.42 | 5.48 |
| 2000 | 10.53 | 4.92 |
| 1999 | 11.38 | 5.17 |
| 1998 | 14.31 | 6.08 |
| 1997 | 11 | 5.81 |
| 1996 | 8.47 | 5.28 |
| 1995 | 9.28 | 6.35 |
| 1994 | 10.64 | 8.4 |
| 1993 | 12.47 | 7.06 |
| 1992 | 11.28 | 7.28 |
| 1991 | 12.47 | 7.01 |
| 1990 | 14.02 | 6.55 |
| 1989 | 13.39 | – |
| 1988 | 15.15 | – |
| 1987 | 16.9 | – |
| 1985 | 17 | – |
| 1984 | 19 | – |
| 1983 | 16.97 | – |
| 1982 | 17.72 | – |
| 1981 | 13.27 | – |
| 1980 | 12.61 | – |
| 1979 | 15.77 | – |
| 1978 | 16.74 | – |
| 1977 | 15.65 | – |
| 1973 | 10.84 | – |
| 1972 | 10.08 | – |
| 1971 | 8.64 | – |
| 1970 | 9.4 | – |
| 1969 | 9.57 | – |
| 1968 | 8.09 | – |
| 1967 | 11.51 | – |
| 1966 | 11.32 | – |
| 1965 | 7.69 | – |
| 1964 | 5.97 | – |
| 1963 | 5.9 | – |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, 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 151 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 Yemen
Health
- Life expectancySaudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023Yemen: 69.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySaudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Yemen: 3.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySaudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Yemen: 32.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSaudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017Yemen: 4.01% in 2017
- Suicide rateSaudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017Yemen: 6 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSaudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023Yemen: 39.4 million people in 2023
- Population growthSaudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023Yemen: 3.03% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSaudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023Yemen: 4.59 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSaudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025Yemen: 37% in 2025
- Median ageSaudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023Yemen: 18.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSaudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023Yemen: 2.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateSaudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023Yemen: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsSaudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025Yemen: $12.3B in 2014
- Military spending per personSaudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025Yemen: $58 in 2014
- Military share of state spendingSaudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025Yemen: 14.3% of government spending in 2014
- Armed forces personnelSaudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020Yemen: 40,000 people in 2020
- National powerSaudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022Yemen: 0.24% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSaudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020Yemen: 0.58% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSaudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025Yemen: 1 million TIV in 2022
- Arms exportsSaudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023Yemen: 51 million TIV in 1986