Qatar vs Saudi Arabia: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Qatar
6.5%
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
6.5%
in 2025
Qatar rank
7th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Qatar currently reports 6.5% against 6.5% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 22 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Qatar ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 167 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Qatar averaged higher in 1 and Saudi Arabia in 4.
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% | 6.1% | 0.4% | Qatar |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Qatar or Saudi Arabia?
- Qatar, at 6.5% against 6.5% in Saudi Arabia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.0%, with Qatar 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 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th 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