Russia vs Saudi Arabia: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Russia
7.5%
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
6.5%
in 2025
Russia rank
5th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 7.5% against 6.5% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 1.0%.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.2 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 34 shared years of data; in 1992 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Russia ranks 5th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 167 countries.
Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.8% | 11.1% | 7.3% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 9.0% | 5.5% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 8.9% | 4.8% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 6.6% | 1.3% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Russia or Saudi Arabia?
- Russia, at 7.5% against 6.5% in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Russia and Saudi Arabia?
- 1.0%, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and Saudi Arabia?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2025.
- How do Russia and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military expenditure?
- Russia ranks 5th 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