France vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending
France
71.97 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Saudi Arabia
88.35 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
France rank
7th
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
Military spending over time
- France
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$ against 71.97 billion constant 2022 US$ in France, a difference of 16.38 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.2 times France's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 91 shared years of data; in 1932 it was France ahead.
France ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 172 countries.
Across the 10 decades both report, France averaged higher in 8 and Saudi Arabia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 13.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | 121.42 million constant 2022 US$ | 13.08 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1940s | 23.28 billion constant 2022 US$ | 208.93 million constant 2022 US$ | 23.07 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1950s | 15.41 billion constant 2022 US$ | 635.05 million constant 2022 US$ | 14.78 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1960s | 34.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.31 billion constant 2022 US$ | 33.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1970s | 46.51 billion constant 2022 US$ | 18.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | 27.81 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1980s | 58.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | 43.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | 15.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1990s | 64.68 billion constant 2022 US$ | 32.75 billion constant 2022 US$ | 31.92 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 2000s | 64.54 billion constant 2022 US$ | 37.59 billion constant 2022 US$ | 26.95 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 2010s | 60.42 billion constant 2022 US$ | 78.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | 17.60 billion constant 2022 US$ | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 68.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | 83.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | 15.83 billion constant 2022 US$ | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, France or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$ against 71.97 billion constant 2022 US$ in France as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between France and Saudi Arabia?
- 16.38 billion constant 2022 US$, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Saudi Arabia?
- 91 years are reported by both, from 1932 to 2023.
- How do France and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military spending?
- France ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.