Russian Federation vs Saudi Arabia: Military spending as a share of GDP
Russian Federation
7.5%
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
6.5%
in 2025
Russian Federation rank
5th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Military spending as a share of GDP over time
- Russian Federation
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Russian Federation currently reports 7.5% against 6.5% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 1.0%.
That makes Russian Federation'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.
Russian Federation ranks 5th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 166 countries.
Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russian Federation | 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 spending as a share of gdp, Russian Federation or Saudi Arabia?
- Russian Federation, at 7.5% against 6.5% in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia?
- 1.0%, with Russian Federation ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2025.
- How do Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Russian Federation ranks 5th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.