Military spending in MENA by selected country 2023

In 2023, the annual military spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was the highest for Saudi Arabia at about 75.8 billion U.S. dollars. MENA military trendsSaudi Arabia was ranked fifth among the top global military spenders in 2019. It is the largest military spender in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Saudi’s military spending reached its all-time high during 2015 when it was the third-largest military spender globally. Saudi Arabia was expected to increase its military spending following tension with Iran after an Iranian missile attacked Saudi’s oil industry in 2019, and with its military operations in Yemen. 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 2019 reached eight percent. The high military burden reflects instability and conflict in the region. MENA budget deficitThe military expenditure of the MENA region on average is above their 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 MENA region was about 40 percent in 2018. 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, 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. In 2020, Yemen had the highest risk of development deficit and deprivation among conflict countries in the region, followed by Syria.

于2023年，中东及北非（MENA）地区的年度军事开支达到沙特阿拉伯的约758亿美元，创历史新高。MENA军事趋势沙特阿拉伯于2019年位列全球主要军事开支国第五位，是该地区最大的军事开支国。沙特阿拉伯的军事开支在其2015年达到历史最高点时，全球排名第三，彼时正值其与伊朗因伊朗导弹袭击沙特石油工业及在也门的军事行动而关系紧张之际。MENA地区的军事开支占国内生产总值（GDP）的平均比例，相较于其他地区而言最高，2019年沙特阿拉伯的军事开支占GDP的比例达到8%。高昂的军事负担反映了该地区的不稳定和冲突。MENA预算赤字MENA地区的军事开支平均超过其财政能力，因为分配给军事行动的预算所余不足以满足公众需求。2018年，MENA地区的平均公共债务占GDP的比例约为40%。该地区政府一直倾向于采取诸如维持强大军队等策略以延缓民主浪潮在治理过程中的介入，而非改变其社会政策以适应公众需求。然而，该地区的大多数公众对军事和政府机构抱有高度信心。MENA地区的国家军队在经济事务中的参与度亦为人所熟知，如阿拉伯之春后，高水平的军事开支旨在抑制进一步的社会动员或起义。2020年，也门在MENA地区冲突国家中面临最高的发展赤字和剥夺风险，叙利亚紧随其后。