North America vs Saudi Arabia: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
North America
3.0%
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
6.5%
in 2025
North America rank
8th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- North America
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 6.5% against 3.0% in North America, a difference of 3.5%.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 2.2 times North America's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 59 shared years of data; in 1963 it was North America ahead.
North America ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 45 groups.
Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North America | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.2% | 8.6% | 0.4% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1970s | 5.7% | 12.4% | 6.7% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 5.8% | 15.8% | 10.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 11.5% | 7.6% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 9.0% | 5.3% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 8.9% | 5.3% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 6.6% | 3.4% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, North America or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 6.5% against 3.0% in North America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between North America and Saudi Arabia?
- 3.5%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North America and Saudi Arabia?
- 59 years are reported by both, from 1963 to 2025.
- How do North America and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military expenditure?
- North America ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th 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