Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending as a share of government spending
Qatar
26.9%
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
23.5%
in 2025
Qatar rank
4th
Saudi Arabia rank
6th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Qatar currently reports 26.9% against 23.5% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 3.4%.
That makes Qatar's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 13 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Qatar ranks 4th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 162 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Qatar averaged higher in 1 and Saudi Arabia in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.6% | 35.4% | 8.9% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 27.3% | 18.9% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 25.9% | 21.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 22.7% | 1.7% | Qatar |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, Qatar or Saudi Arabia?
- Qatar, at 26.9% against 23.5% in Saudi Arabia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
- 3.4%, with Qatar ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2022.
- How do Qatar and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Qatar ranks 4th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending as a share of government spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by government spending.