Military spending in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Military spending was 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
88.35 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
5th
of 172 countries
All-time high
93.58 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2017
All-time low
75.51 million constant 2022 US$
in 1932
Years of data
92
1932–2023

Military spending in Saudi Arabia, 1932–2023

020.0B40.0B60.0B80.0B100.0B193219772023

Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military spending in Saudi Arabia is 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 5.0% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Saudi Arabia peaked at 93.58 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 75.51 million constant 2022 US$, in 1932.

That places Saudi Arabia 5th out of 172 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1930s 121.42 million constant 2022 US$ 75.51 million constant 2022 US$ 161.89 million constant 2022 US$ 8
1940s 206.98 million constant 2022 US$ 189.35 million constant 2022 US$ 243.08 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1950s 635.05 million constant 2022 US$ 212.39 million constant 2022 US$ 1.05 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1960s 1.31 billion constant 2022 US$ 568.37 million constant 2022 US$ 2.64 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1970s 18.69 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.81 billion constant 2022 US$ 44.36 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1980s 43.69 billion constant 2022 US$ 29.18 billion constant 2022 US$ 59.12 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1990s 32.75 billion constant 2022 US$ 26.25 billion constant 2022 US$ 47.33 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2000s 37.59 billion constant 2022 US$ 29.36 billion constant 2022 US$ 51.39 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2010s 78.03 billion constant 2022 US$ 52.00 billion constant 2022 US$ 93.58 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2020s 83.93 billion constant 2022 US$ 81.42 billion constant 2022 US$ 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$ 4

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 2 China 349.48 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  2. 3 Russia 120.26 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  3. 4 India 95.30 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  4. 6 United Kingdom 84.21 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  5. 7 France 71.97 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  6. 8 Ukraine 62.62 billion constant 2022 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Saudi Arabia?
Military spending in Saudi Arabia was 88.35 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 93.58 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2017.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 75.51 million constant 2022 US$ in 1932.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for military spending?
Saudi Arabia ranks 5th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
Is military spending rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 92 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending
Unit
constant 2022 US$
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed

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.