Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey rank in top 20 global military spenders: What to know
Regional military spending saw a significant increase in 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, amid conflicts in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, though it found that Europe drove the overall hike in global expenditures.
Military spending in the Middle East soared 15% to $243 billion in 2024, according to a Monday report, on the back of increased expenditures by Saudi Arabia, Israel and others in the region.
The rankings of top military spenders in the Middle East and North Africa follow:
- Saudi Arabia (7th in the world)
The kingdom spent an estimated $80.3 billion on its military in 2024, an increase of 1.5% from 2023.
The institute noted in a report last year that Saudi Arabia was the second-largest arms importer in the world between 2019 and 2023 behind India, accounting for 8.4% of total global imports. Qatar was third with 7.6% of imports.
