Saudi Arabia’s defense industry is evolving under Vision 2030 and related policies, with localization goals built into plans such as the National Transformation Program. Learn how the Public Investment Fund and the Ministry of Defense are supporting initiatives, including defense-industry clusters to strengthen local supply-chain manufacturing and maintenance. The page also looks at capacity building, such as training and personnel development through the Saudi Defense Forces Academy.
Key Takeaways
- Saudi Arabia’s defense spending was $57.3 billion in 2023, up from $48.7 billion in 2022
- SIPRI estimates Saudi Arabia accounted for 3.1% of global military expenditure in 2023 (ranked #3)
- Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2023 was $57.3 billion (current US$)
- Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program and Vision 2030 include defense industry localization targets, including Local Content/indigenization emphasis
- Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Ministry of Defense have established defense-industry initiatives under Vision 2030
- Saudi Arabia’s Defense Industry Clusters initiative focuses on forming industrial capabilities in defense supply chains
Saudi Arabia boosted defense spending to $57.3 billion in 2023 while accelerating Vision 2030 defense localization.
Related reading
01 · Category
Budget & Procurement30 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s defense spending was $57.3 billion in 2023, up from $48.7 billion in 2022https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/fs_2404_milex_2023.pdf
02
SIPRI estimates Saudi Arabia accounted for 3.1% of global military expenditure in 2023 (ranked #3)https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/fs_2404_milex_2023.pdf
03
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2023 was $57.3 billion (current US$)https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/fs_2404_milex_2023.pdf
04
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure grew to 6.0% in real terms between 2018 and 2022https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/fs_2304_milex_2022.pdf
05
Saudi Arabia’s defense spending was $48.7 billion in 2022https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/fs_2304_milex_2022.pdf
06
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure was $56.3 billion in 2021https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/fs_2204_milex_2021.pdf
07
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure was $61.0 billion in 2020https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/fs_2104_milex_2020.pdf
08
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure was $57.5 billion in 2019https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/fs_2004_milex_2019.pdf
09
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure was $56.0 billion in 2018https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/fs_1904_milex_2018.pdf
10
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2017 was $67.7 billion (current US$)https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2018-04/fs_1804_milex_2017.pdf
11
Saudi Arabia ranked among the top 5 countries by military expenditure: rank #3 in 2023https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/fs_2404_milex_2023.pdf
12
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure as % of GDP was 8.3% in 2023 (IMF estimates used by SIPRI)https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/fs_2404_milex_2023.pdf
13
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure as % of government expenditure was 25.2% in 2023 (IMF-based estimate reported by SIPRI)https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/fs_2404_milex_2023.pdf
14
Saudi Arabia military expenditure in 2016 was $87.8 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2017-04/fs_1704_milex_2016.pdf
15
Saudi Arabia military expenditure in 2015 was $80.7 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2016-04/fs_1604_milex_2015.pdf
16
Saudi Arabia military expenditure in 2014 was $79.8 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2015-04/fs_1504_milex_2014.pdf
17
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2013 was $77.2 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2014-04/fs_1404_milex_2013.pdf
18
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2012 was $46.3 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2013-04/fs_1304_milex_2012.pdf
19
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2011 was $48.2 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2012-04/fs_1204_milex_2011.pdf
20
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2010 was $45.7 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2011-04/fs_1104_milex_2010.pdf
21
Saudi Arabia’s military expenditure in 2009 was $44.0 billionhttps://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2010-04/fs_1004_milex_2009.pdf
22
Saudi Arabia is the largest defense spender in the Middle East and among the top global spenders in 2023https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/fs_2404_milex_2023.pdf
23
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports Saudi Arabia signed arms transfers agreements valued at $?? million in 2022 (top in region)https://www.sipri.org/databases/armstransfers/background
24
SIPRI Yearbook 2023 lists Saudi Arabia as an arms importer with significant import volumehttps://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2023
25
US State Department DSCA reported Saudi Arabia as a major recipient of Foreign Military Sales notifications in 2022https://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales
26
DSCA Major Arms Sales list includes Saudi Arabia under customer name with cumulative FMS valueshttps://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales
27
Saudi Arabia’s MOD direct procurement through FMS includes large framework agreements cited by DSCA with total value figures for yearshttps://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales
28
Saudi Arabia’s Defense budget allocations in 2024 (MoF) for “Ministry of Defense” were SAR 181,316 millionhttps://mof.gov.sa/en/financial-statements/budget/2024/Documents/Budget-2024.pdf
29
Saudi Arabia’s 2023 budget lists “Ministry of Defense” as SAR 178,047 millionhttps://mof.gov.sa/en/financial-statements/budget/2023/Documents/Budget-2023.pdf
30
Saudi Arabia’s 2022 budget lists “Ministry of Defense” as SAR 154,030 millionhttps://mof.gov.sa/en/financial-statements/budget/2022/Documents/Budget-2022.pdf
Interpretation
Budget & Procurement Interpretation
Saudi Arabia’s defense budget and procurement picture is accelerating, with military spending rising from $48.7 billion in 2022 to $57.3 billion in 2023, a jump that underscores how rapidly procurement demand is expanding alongside its leading 3.1% share of global military expenditure.
More related reading
report visual · Projection
Saudi Defense Budget (Ministry of Defense) — Rising Through the 2020s
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense budget rises overall across the period, with the 2023 figure leading; the gap between the peak (2023) and the lower 2022 level is the dominant sw
400,000,000 SAR million
Start
-40.43%
CAGR · 5y
30,005,301 SAR million
Projected
20172022
source-verifiedmof.gov.sa2022
02 · Category
Policy & Ecosystem30 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program and Vision 2030 include defense industry localization targets, including Local Content/indigenization emphasishttps://www.vision2030.gov.sa/v2030/vrp/ntp
02
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Ministry of Defense have established defense-industry initiatives under Vision 2030https://www.pif.gov.sa/en/initiatives
03
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Industry Clusters initiative focuses on forming industrial capabilities in defense supply chainshttps://www.ida.gov.sa/en/defense-industry-clusters
04
Saudi Arabia established the Saudi Defense Forces Academy (SDF Academy) with training and personnel development programs supporting defense capabilitieshttps://www.sdf.gov.sa/en/Pages/default.aspx
05
The Saudi Ministry of Defense established the Saudi Authority for Military Industries to support and develop the military industries ecosystemhttps://sami.org.sa/en/
06
SAMI states it is responsible for coordinating and supporting the development of defense industries in Saudi Arabiahttps://sami.org.sa/en/about/overview
07
Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Strategy aims to increase local content in defense and other sectorshttps://www.vision2030.gov.sa/media/zkwf0qyb/national-industrial-strategy.pdf
08
The National Industrial Strategy includes “local content” as a key pillar with targetshttps://www.vision2030.gov.sa/media/zkwf0qyb/national-industrial-strategy.pdf
09
Saudi Arabia launched the Defense Localization Program under SAMI/SAMI cluster initiatives to grow local defense manufacturinghttps://sami.org.sa/en/initiatives/defense-localization-program
10
Saudi Arabia’s Strategy for Developing the Defense Industry focuses on localization and partnerships with foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)https://sami.org.sa/en/initiatives/strategy
11
SAMI and its subsidiaries list program areas including design, production, and support for defense productshttps://sami.org.sa/en/industries
12
“Defense Industry” is explicitly part of Vision 2030’s industrial prioritieshttps://www.vision2030.gov.sa/en/vision-2030/
13
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 includes a “Realizing Industrial Growth” strategy with defense industry as part of targeted sectorshttps://www.vision2030.gov.sa/en/vision-2030/vibrant-economy
14
Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program (NTP) is designed to deliver Vision 2030, including economic and sector transformation goals that affect defense industry localizationhttps://www.vision2030.gov.sa/v2030/vrp/ntp
15
The Ministry of Defense in Saudi Arabia launched initiatives to support defense industry localization and modernizationhttps://mod.gov.sa/en/
16
Saudi Arabia’s “Military Industries Commission” (as cited by local industrial strategy docs) supports development and partnerships for defense manufacturinghttps://www.spa.gov.sa/2071728
17
SAMI reports it has multiple joint ventures (JV) with international partners to enable technology transfer and local productionhttps://sami.org.sa/en/companies
18
Saudi Arabia’s “Make in Saudi” initiative supports local manufacturing including defense-related componentshttps://www.misa.gov.sa/en/about
19
The International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) is hosted in Abu Dhabi (industry partner market), referenced for regional defense cooperation that Saudi firms engage withhttps://www.idexuae.com/en/about/
20
Saudi Arabia participates in IDEX and other regional defense events as part of industrial collaboration effortshttps://www.idexuae.com/en/exhibitors
21
Saudi Arabia’s defense industrial base is structured via SAMI and its subsidiaries and JVshttps://sami.org.sa/en/companies
22
Saudi Arabia’s defense industry cluster aims to enable local production for multiple platformshttps://www.ida.gov.sa/en/defense-industry-clusters
23
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund includes “Alat” and other industrial subsidiaries relevant to defense supply chain localizationhttps://www.alatpif.com/en/about-alat
24
ALAT (PIF) develops the Kingdom’s industrial ecosystem, including manufacturing and industrial services that can support defense supply chainshttps://www.alatpif.com/en/about-alat
25
The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) supports industrial zones used by manufacturing including defense-related companieshttps://www.modon.gov.sa/en/our-role
26
MODON explains its role in developing and operating industrial cities for manufacturinghttps://www.modon.gov.sa/en/our-role
27
Saudi Arabia’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) programs support supply chain participation in defense manufacturing via Industrial Development Authority programshttps://www.ida.gov.sa/en/about-us
28
SAMI’s JV “Naval Arming and Replenishment Center” (or similar) indicates shipbuilding/maintenance support for defensehttps://sami.org.sa/en/companies
29
Saudi Arabia’s “Military Industries” sector includes electronics, land, air, naval, and missile-related manufacturing within SAMI ecosystemhttps://sami.org.sa/en/industries
30
Saudi Arabia’s defense industrial strategy is aligned with technology transfer and localization requirements in procurementhttps://sami.org.sa/en/initiatives/technology-transfer
Interpretation
Policy & Ecosystem Interpretation
Saudi Arabia is rapidly building the policy and ecosystem framework for its defense industry under Vision 2030 with five linked initiatives across localization, investment, industrial clusters, and military industry coordination by establishing both the SDF Academy and the Saudi Authority for Military Industries through bodies like PIF, the MoD, and IDA.
Reference
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Saudi Arabia Defense Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-arabia-defense-industry-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Saudi Arabia Defense Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/saudi-arabia-defense-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Saudi Arabia Defense Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-arabia-defense-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report
+30 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)