Military Strength: United Arab Emirates vs Saudi Arabia

Overview

Saudi Arabia (ranked #21 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than United Arab Emirates (#27) on the Global Military Index. Saudi Arabia fields 282,000 active troops — 4.5x United Arab Emirates's 63,000, backed by 24,500 paramilitary. Saudi Arabia's $88B defense budget is 4.0x that of United Arab Emirates ($22B).

In the air, United Arab Emirates operates 548 aircraft including 135 combat jets, while Saudi Arabia fields 914 with 384 fighters.

At sea, United Arab Emirates's 79-ship navy outnumbers Saudi Arabia's 29 vessels. On the ground, United Arab Emirates deploys 354 main battle tanks vs 840 for Saudi Arabia.

Neither United Arab Emirates nor Saudi Arabia possesses nuclear weapons.

Emirati Military Strength 🇦🇪

Global Military Index 55.1 (#27) ◉
🪖 Military personnel 63,000 ◉
– Reserve troops 130,000 ◉
– Paramilitary forces 0 ◉
🛩️ Military aircraft 548 ◉
– incl. combat aircraft 135 ◉
– incl. bombers 0 ◉
– incl. helicopters 264 ◉
⚓️ Military ships 79 ◉
– incl. aircraft carriers 0 ◉
– incl. submarines 0 ◉
🚛 Main battle tanks 354 ◉
💥 Nuclear warheads 0 ◉
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Saudi Arabian Military Strength 🇸🇦

Global Military Index 56.9 (#21) ◉
🪖 Military personnel 282,000 ◉
– Reserve troops 0 ◉
– Paramilitary forces 24,500 ◉
🛩️ Military aircraft 914 ◉
– incl. combat aircraft 384 ◉
– incl. bombers 0 ◉
– incl. helicopters 262 ◉
⚓️ Military ships 29 ◉
– incl. aircraft carriers 0 ◉
– incl. submarines 0 ◉
🚛 Main battle tanks 840 ◉
💥 Nuclear warheads 0 ◉
→ View full details

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates Global Military Index

55.1
Global Rank: #27
🪖 Manpower (15%) 73.0 Active, reserve & paramilitary: 128000 effective
🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) 56.7 Main battle tanks: 354
⚓ Naval Power (20%) 54.4 Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers...
✈️ Air Power (25%) 61.0 Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters...
☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) 0.0 No declared nuclear capability
💰 Defense Budget (10%) 66.8 $22.1B annual military spending

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Global Military Index

56.9
Global Rank: #21
🪖 Manpower (15%) 77.5 Active, reserve & paramilitary: 264350 effective
🛡️ Ground Firepower (20%) 65.0 Main battle tanks: 840
⚓ Naval Power (20%) 39.8 Weighted by ship type: carriers, submarines, destroyers...
✈️ Air Power (25%) 67.1 Weighted by aircraft type: combat, bombers, helicopters...
☢️ Nuclear Deterrent (10%) 0.0 No declared nuclear capability
💰 Defense Budget (10%) 76.1 $88.0B annual military spending

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Emirati Statistics

Population 11.0 million ◉
GDP $552.3 billion ◉
GDP per capita $50,274 ◉
Military Budget $22.1 billion ◉
Share of GDP in Milex 4.0% ◉
Share of Govt Expenditures 0.0%
Military spends per capita $2011 ◉

Saudi Arabian Statistics

Population 35.3 million ◉
GDP $1.2 trillion ◉
GDP per capita $35,122 ◉
Military Budget $88.0 billion ◉
Share of GDP in Milex 7.1% ◉
Share of Govt Expenditures 0.0%
Military spends per capita $2494 ◉

United Arab Emirates Geography

Land Area 83,600 km² ◉
Coastline Length 1,318 km ◉

Saudi Arabia Geography

Land Area 2,149,690 km² ◉
Coastline Length 2,640 km ◉

Military Forces Chart

Economic Metrics Chart

Military Budget Evolution

Military Personnel Evolution

Related Comparisons

United Arab Emirates vs Saudi Arabia Air Forces United Arab Emirates vs Saudi Arabia Navies United Arab Emirates vs Saudi Arabia Armies Saudi Arabia vs United States Saudi Arabia vs Iran

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has approximately 282,000 active military personnel compared to United Arab Emirates's 63,000, giving Saudi Arabia a 4:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia operates 384 combat aircraft compared to United Arab Emirates's 135. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia?
United Arab Emirates has a larger navy with 79 vessels compared to Saudi Arabia's 29 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has a larger defense budget at $88.0 billion (4:1 more) compared to United Arab Emirates's $22.1 billion annually.
Do United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have nuclear weapons?
Neither United Arab Emirates nor Saudi Arabia currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia compare?
Saudi Arabia operates 840 main battle tanks compared to United Arab Emirates's 354. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.
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