Arab World vs Israel: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Arab World
5.1%
in 2025
Israel
7.8%
in 2025
Arab World rank
2nd
Israel rank
4th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- Arab World
- Israel
How they compare
Israel currently reports 7.8% against 5.1% in Arab World, a difference of 2.7%.
That makes Israel's figure about 1.5 times Arab World's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 57 shared years of data; in 1963 it was Israel ahead.
Arab World ranks 2nd and Israel ranks 4th of 45 groups.
Across the 7 decades both report, Arab World averaged higher in 1 and Israel in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Arab World | Israel | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.4% | 12.7% | 6.2% | Israel |
| 1970s | 8.5% | 22.8% | 14.4% | Israel |
| 1980s | 9.7% | 17.3% | 7.6% | Israel |
| 1990s | 7.5% | 9.2% | 1.7% | Israel |
| 2000s | 5.1% | 6.1% | 0.9% | Israel |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 5.3% | 0.3% | Arab World |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 6.0% | 1.2% | Israel |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Arab World or Israel?
- Israel, at 7.8% against 5.1% in Arab World as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Arab World and Israel?
- 2.7%, with Israel ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Arab World and Israel?
- 57 years are reported by both, from 1963 to 2025.
- How do Arab World and Israel rank globally for military expenditure?
- Arab World ranks 2nd and Israel ranks 4th of 45 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product