Iran vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Military expenditure (current USD)
Iran
7.40 billion current USD
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
23.26 billion current USD
in 2025
Iran rank
39th
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
36th
Military expenditure (current USD) over time
- Iran
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) currently reports 23.26 billion current USD against 7.40 billion current USD in Iran, a difference of 15.86 billion current USD.
That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s figure about 3.1 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1963 it was Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
Iran ranks 39th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 36th of 168 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 2 and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 296.37 million current USD | 841.35 million current USD | 544.98 million current USD | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1970s | 3.96 billion current USD | 4.66 billion current USD | 702.79 million current USD | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1980s | 11.61 billion current USD | 8.36 billion current USD | 3.25 billion current USD | Iran |
| 1990s | 7.97 billion current USD | 7.32 billion current USD | 651.71 million current USD | Iran |
| 2000s | 7.95 billion current USD | 10.82 billion current USD | 2.88 billion current USD | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2010s | 11.97 billion current USD | 19.55 billion current USD | 7.58 billion current USD | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2020s | 6.53 billion current USD | 20.92 billion current USD | 14.39 billion current USD | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Iran or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), at 23.26 billion current USD against 7.40 billion current USD in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Iran and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 15.86 billion current USD, with Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1963 to 2025.
- How do Iran and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for military expenditure?
- Iran ranks 39th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 36th of 168 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (current USD). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given year)