Kuwait vs Syria: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Kuwait
4.7%
in 2025
Syria
4.1%
in 2010
Kuwait rank
13th
Syria rank
16th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- Kuwait
- Syria
How they compare
Kuwait currently reports 4.7% against 4.1% in Syria, a difference of 0.6%.
That makes Kuwait's figure about 1.2 times Syria's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Syria ahead.
Kuwait ranks 13th and Syria ranks 16th of 167 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Kuwait averaged higher in 2 and Syria in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kuwait | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 12.9% | 9.7% | Syria |
| 1980s | 6.3% | 13.8% | 7.4% | Syria |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 7.1% | 20.0% | Kuwait |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 4.9% | 0.4% | Kuwait |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 4.1% | 0.3% | Syria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Kuwait or Syria?
- Kuwait, at 4.7% against 4.1% in Syria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Kuwait and Syria?
- 0.6%, with Kuwait ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kuwait and Syria?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2010.
- How do Kuwait and Syria rank globally for military expenditure?
- Kuwait ranks 13th and Syria ranks 16th of 167 countries.
- 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