South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending: 2.2% of government spending in South Africa in 2025 and 17% of government spending in United Arab Emirates in 2014, by SIPRI estimates. In 2014 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 13.6 percentage points, or 4.89 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of government spending · SIPRI

South AfricaUnited Arab EmiratesSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

Year	South Africa	United Arab Emirates
2025	2.2	–
2024	2.3	–
2023	2.5	–
2022	2.7	–
2021	2.6	–
2020	2.8	–
2019	2.8	–
2018	3	–
2017	3.2	–
2016	3.2	–
2015	3.3	–
2014	3.5	17
2013	3.6	19.9
2012	3.6	17.4
2011	3.6	17.6
2010	3.5	18.7
2009	3.8	15.6
2008	4	16.7
2007	4.3	18.6
2006	4.7	20.6
2005	4.9	23.2
2004	5.3	26
2003	5.8	23.4
2002	6.2	22.9
2001	5.9	22.3
2000	5.5	26.2
1999	–	20.7
1998	–	20.6
1997	–	19.2

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

South Africa vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Africa: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022