Saudi Arabia vs United States: Arms imports
Arms imports over time
- Saudi Arabia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.21 billion SIPRI trend indicator values against 1.11 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 98.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 14 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 6th and United States ranks 3rd of 172 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 5 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 157.11 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 159.11 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | United States |
| 1970s | 485.70 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 452.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 33.70 million SIPRI trend indicator values | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 1.61 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 864.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 745.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 1.75 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 583.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 385.70 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 658.70 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 273.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | United States |
| 2010s | 2.38 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 702.90 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.68 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 1.94 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 887.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.05 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher arms imports, Saudi Arabia or United States?
- United States, at 1.21 billion SIPRI trend indicator values against 1.11 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in Saudi Arabia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in arms imports between Saudi Arabia and United States?
- 98.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and United States?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do Saudi Arabia and United States rank globally for arms imports?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 6th and United States ranks 3rd of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Arms transfers (imports) cover the volume of transfers of major arms through sales and gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major conventional weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships. Figures are SIPRI Trend Indicator Values (TIVs). A '0' indicates that the volume of deliveries is between 0 and 0.5 million SIPRI TIV.