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In 2025, the annual military spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was the highest for Saudi Arabia at about 83.18 billion U.S. dollars.

MENA military trends

Saudi Arabia ranked eighth among the top global military spenders in 2025. It is the largest military spender in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Saudi Arabia’s military spending reached its all-time high during 2015 when it was the third-largest military spender globally. The MENA region had the highest average military spending as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) compared to other regions. Military spending as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2025 reached 6.5 percent. The high military burden reflects instability and conflict in the region.

MENA budget deficit

The military expenditure of the MENA region, on average, is above its fiscal capabilities, as the budgets allocated to operations leave less than the required amounts for the demands of the public. The average public debt as a share of GDP of the Middle East region was about 42.5 percent in 2025. The governments of the region have been favoring using tactics such as having a strong army to delay the involvement of the democratic wave in the governing process, over the option of changing their social approach to accommodate the needs of the public. However, as of 2025, the majority of the public has high confidence in the military and government institutions in the region. The military forces of countries of the MENA region are known to have a strong involvement in the economic matters of the countries, such as high levels of military spending post the Arab Spring, to dampen any further social mobilization or uprisings.