Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Military expenditure
Qatar
6.5%
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
7.3%
in 2024
Qatar rank
8th
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
Military expenditure over time
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 7.3% against 6.5% in Qatar, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Qatar's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 22 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Qatar ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 165 countries.
Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 15.1% | 15.8% | 0.7% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 11.9% | 13.2% | 1.4% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 8.5% | 6.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 8.6% | 7.1% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 6.5% | 6.8% | 0.3% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Qatar or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 7.3% against 6.5% in Qatar as of 2024.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.8%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2022.
- How do Qatar and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military expenditure?
- Qatar ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 165 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