Iran vs Saudi Arabia Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
Iran
600K active troops
$20B budget
VS
Saudi Arabia
200K active troops
$70B budget
1,650
Tanks
1,062
2,500
Armored Vehicles
5,472
2,322
Artillery
484
1,900
Rocket Systems
322
196
Fighter Jets
177
152
Helicopters
244
398
Warships
55
19
Submarines
0
Nuclear Arsenal
Iran
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Saudi Arabia
NON-NUCLEAR
0
WARHEADS
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
Iran
LARGEST
575K
TROOPS
Saudi Arabia
39.5% OF LARGEST
227K
TROOPS
Iran has 2.53× the active personnel of Saudi Arabia
Air Force Total Aircraft
Saudi Arabia
LARGEST
897
AIRCRAFT
Iran
61.4% OF LARGEST
551
AIRCRAFT
Saudi Arabia has 1.63× the aircraft of Iran
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Iran
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 575,000 | 227,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 350,000 | 0 |
| Total Military Personnel | 925,000 | 227,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $19,600,000,000 | $67,600,000,000 |
| Tanks | 1,650 | 1,062 |
| Armored Vehicles | 2,500 | 5,472 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 292 | 224 |
| Towed Artillery | 2,030 | 260 |
| Rocket Projectors | 1,900 | 322 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Iran
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 551 | 897 |
| Fighters | 196 | 177 |
| Attack Aircraft | 0 | 245 |
| Transport Aircraft | 91 | 221 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 112 | 173 |
| Helicopters | 152 | 244 |
| Attack Helicopters | 12 | 39 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Iran
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 398 | 55 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 0 | 0 |
| Destroyers | 0 | 3 |
| Frigates | 7 | 7 |
| Corvettes | 3 | 4 |
| Submarines | 19 | 0 |
| Patrol Vessels | 230 | 11 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 5 | 7 |
See economy, trade, demographics, and more for this comparison.
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Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology