Iran vs Upper middle income: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)
Iran
11.2%
in 2025
Upper middle income
5.6%
in 2024
Iran rank
28th
Upper middle income rank
31st
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) over time
- Iran
- Upper middle income
How they compare
Iran currently reports 11.2% against 5.6% in Upper middle income, a difference of 5.6%.
That makes Iran's figure about 2.0 times Upper middle income's.
Across all 26 years both countries report, Iran has been ahead every year.
Iran ranks 28th and Upper middle income ranks 31st of 164 countries.
Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.6% | 9.3% | 3.3% | Iran |
| 2000s | 13.9% | 7.2% | 6.6% | Iran |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 5.5% | 10.0% | Iran |
| 2020s | 13.9% | 5.3% | 8.6% | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Iran or Upper middle income?
- Iran, at 11.2% against 5.6% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Iran and Upper middle income?
- 5.6%, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Upper middle income?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2024.
- How do Iran and Upper middle income rank globally for military expenditure?
- Iran ranks 28th and Upper middle income ranks 31st of 164 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure