Military profile
Saudi Arabia Military Strength
Saudi Arabia ranks #22 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 225,000 active personnel. It spent $83.2 billion on its military in 2025 (6.5% of GDP).
Saudi Arabia armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 225,000#20 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 125,000#19 of 145
- Army personnel
- 75,000#49 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 20,000#32 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 13,500#41 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 897#12 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 283#9 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 81#10 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 258#15 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 34#19 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 1,273#20 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 333#19 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 332#32 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 186#26 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 7#22 of 113
- Corvettes
- 4#26 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 39#23 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 3#38 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $83.2 billion#8 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 6.5%#7 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $1.54 trillion#17 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Saudi Arabia military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Saudi Arabia grew by 84% between 2010 and 2025, from $45.2 billion to $83.2 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 6.5% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Saudi Arabia
Branches and forces
the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF) are divided into two ministries: Ministry of Defense: Royal Saudi Land Forces, Royal Saudi Naval Forces (includes marines, special forces, naval aviation), Royal Saudi Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, Royal Saudi Strategic Missiles Force; Ministry of the National Guard: Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) Other security forces include: Ministry of Interior: Facilities Security Forces, Public Security Forces (police), General Directorate of Border Guard State Security Presidency (SSP): General Directorate of Investigation (Mabahith), Special Security Forces, Special Emergency Forces (2025)
Personnel
approximately 250,000 active Saudi Armed Forces, including 125,000 under the Ministry of Defense and 125,000 in the National Guard (2025)
Service age and conscription
voluntary military service for men (17-40) and women (typically 21-40, although maximum age may vary by role); no conscription (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the inventory of the Saudi military forces, including the SANG, is comprised of imported modern armaments; major suppliers include Canada, China, France, Spain, the UK, and the US; Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest importers of arms (2025)
Good to know
Saudi Arabia's security concerns include border security, cyberattacks, instability in Yemen, international terrorism, maritime security, and regional rivals such as Iran and Turkey Saudi Arabia has close security ties with the US; the SAAF conducts bilateral exercises with the US military and hosts US forces; the US has participated in a cooperative program to equip and train the SANG since 1973, and much of the equipment for both the regular forces and the SANG has been acquired from the US; Saudi Arabia also has defense relationships with China, France, India, Pakistan, the UK, and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members; it is a member of the Peninsula Shield Forces, a joint military force established by the GCC countries with the aim of maintaining security and stability in the region; the force was established in 1982, and its leadership is based in Saudi Arabia (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 7.1% · 2023: 7% · 2022: 6.5% · 2021: 7% · 2020: 8%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Yemen
Iraq
Jordan
Oman
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Qatar