Russia vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending
Russia
120.26 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Saudi Arabia
88.35 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Russia rank
3rd
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
Military spending over time
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 120.26 billion constant 2022 US$ against 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$ in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 31.91 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.4 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 92 shared years of data; in 1932 it was Russia ahead.
Russia ranks 3rd and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 172 countries.
Across the 10 decades both report, Russia averaged higher in 9 and Saudi Arabia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 64.41 billion constant 2022 US$ | 121.42 million constant 2022 US$ | 64.29 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 1940s | 114.32 billion constant 2022 US$ | 206.98 million constant 2022 US$ | 114.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 1950s | 202.38 billion constant 2022 US$ | 635.05 million constant 2022 US$ | 201.74 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 1960s | 300.59 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.31 billion constant 2022 US$ | 299.28 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 1970s | 430.34 billion constant 2022 US$ | 18.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | 411.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 1980s | 444.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 43.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | 400.70 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 1990s | 115.79 billion constant 2022 US$ | 32.75 billion constant 2022 US$ | 83.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 2000s | 52.70 billion constant 2022 US$ | 37.59 billion constant 2022 US$ | 15.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
| 2010s | 67.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | 78.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10.66 billion constant 2022 US$ | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 98.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | 83.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.27 billion constant 2022 US$ | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Russia or Saudi Arabia?
- Russia, at 120.26 billion constant 2022 US$ against 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$ in Saudi Arabia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Russia and Saudi Arabia?
- 31.91 billion constant 2022 US$, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and Saudi Arabia?
- 92 years are reported by both, from 1932 to 2023.
- How do Russia and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military spending?
- Russia ranks 3rd 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.