Netherlands vs United Arab Emirates: Military spending
Netherlands
18.59 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
United Arab Emirates
24.89 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2020
Netherlands rank
21st
United Arab Emirates rank
19th
Military spending over time
- Netherlands
- United Arab Emirates
How they compare
United Arab Emirates currently reports 24.89 billion constant 2022 US$ against 18.59 billion constant 2022 US$ in Netherlands, a difference of 6.29 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes United Arab Emirates's figure about 1.3 times Netherlands's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 49 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Netherlands ahead.
Netherlands ranks 21st and United Arab Emirates ranks 19th of 172 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 4 and United Arab Emirates in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | United Arab Emirates | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.91 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | 9.89 billion constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 1980s | 11.92 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 1990s | 12.30 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 2000s | 12.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.64 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.05 billion constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 2010s | 12.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | 21.67 billion constant 2022 US$ | 9.06 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Arab Emirates |
| 2020s | 16.47 billion constant 2022 US$ | 24.89 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.41 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Arab Emirates |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Netherlands or United Arab Emirates?
- United Arab Emirates, at 24.89 billion constant 2022 US$ against 18.59 billion constant 2022 US$ in Netherlands as of 2020.
- What is the difference in military spending between Netherlands and United Arab Emirates?
- 6.29 billion constant 2022 US$, with United Arab Emirates ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and United Arab Emirates?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2020.
- How do Netherlands and United Arab Emirates rank globally for military spending?
- Netherlands ranks 21st and United Arab Emirates ranks 19th 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.