CONFLICTIQ
HEAD TO HEAD

Iran vs Saudi Arabia

Iran
36%
RAI
Saudi Arabia
64%

Verdict

Saudi Arabia holds a 64–36 advantage over Iran on the Relative Advantage Index, a clear margin.

The margin is driven by military spending (92% of the combined total, $83.2bn) and economic size (GDP) (72% of the combined total, $1.2tn). Iran leads on active personnel and logistics & power projection.

1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side. Those factors are excluded and the remaining weights renormalised, never substituted.

Factor by factor

FactorIranShareSaudi ArabiaWeight
Military spending
SIPRI Milex
$7.4bn
8%92%
$83.2bn33%
Economic size (GDP)
World Bank WDI
$475bn
28%72%
$1.2tn27%
Active personnel
COW NMC
610.0k
70%30%
257.0k20%
Logistics & power projection
OurAirports
76
60%40%
5020%

Shares are each side's portion of the combined total for that factor. Weights are renormalised across the factors both sides publish — see the methodology. Data read 2026-08-04.

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Neighbour rivalries (473)

Bordering states — the comparisons people actually search for.

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United StatesCyprus v EgyptCyprus v GreeceCyprus v IsraelCyprus v LebanonCyprus v SyriaCyprus v TürkiyeCzechia v GermanyCzechia v PolandCzechia v SlovakiaDenmark v EstoniaDenmark v FranceDenmark v GermanyDenmark v LatviaDenmark v LithuaniaDenmark v NetherlandsDenmark v NorwayDenmark v PolandDenmark v SwedenDenmark v United KingdomDjibouti v EritreaDjibouti v EthiopiaDjibouti v Saudi ArabiaDjibouti v SomaliaDjibouti v YemenDominica v GrenadaDominica v St. Kitts and NevisDominica v St. LuciaDominica v St. Vincent and the GrenadinesDominica v VenezuelaDominican Republic v HaitiDominican Republic v JamaicaDominican Republic v St. Kitts and NevisDR Congo v RwandaDR Congo v South SudanDR Congo v SudanDR Congo v TanzaniaDR Congo v UgandaDR Congo v ZambiaEcuador v PeruEgypt v GreeceEgypt v IraqEgypt v IsraelEgypt v JordanEgypt v LebanonEgypt v LibyaEgypt v SudanEgypt v SyriaEl Salvador v GuatemalaEl Salvador v HondurasEl Salvador v NicaraguaEquatorial Guinea v GabonEquatorial Guinea v NigeriaEquatorial Guinea v Sao Tome and PrincipeEritrea v EthiopiaEritrea v Saudi ArabiaEritrea v SudanEritrea v YemenEstonia v FinlandEstonia v GermanyEstonia v LatviaEstonia v PolandEstonia v SwedenEswatini v MozambiqueEswatini v South AfricaEthiopia v KenyaEthiopia v SomaliaEthiopia v South SudanEthiopia v SudanEthiopia v YemenFiji v TongaFiji v TuvaluFinland v GermanyFinland v LatviaFinland v LithuaniaFinland v NorwayFinland v SwedenFrance v IrelandFrance v LuxembourgFrance v MonacoFrance v NetherlandsFrance v SwitzerlandFrance v TunisiaFrance v VaticanGabon v NigeriaGabon v Sao Tome and PrincipeGambia v SenegalGeorgia v RussiaGeorgia v TürkiyeGeorgia v UkraineGermany v HungaryGermany v LatviaGermany v LithuaniaGermany v LuxembourgGermany v NetherlandsGermany v NorwayGermany v SerbiaGermany v SwedenGermany v SwitzerlandGhana v NigeriaGhana v TogoGreece v LibyaGreece v MaltaGreece v North MacedoniaGrenada v GuyanaGrenada v St. Kitts and NevisGrenada v St. Vincent and the 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Sts. v PalauMicronesia, Fed. Sts. v Papua New GuineaMoldova v RomaniaMoldova v UkraineMonaco v SpainMongolia v RussiaMontenegro v SerbiaMorocco v PortugalMorocco v SpainMozambique v SeychellesMozambique v South AfricaMozambique v TanzaniaMozambique v ZambiaMozambique v ZimbabweNamibia v South AfricaNamibia v ZambiaNetherlands v NorwayNetherlands v United KingdomNicaragua v PanamaNigeria v Sao Tome and PrincipeNigeria v TogoNorth Macedonia v SerbiaNorway v United KingdomOman v PakistanOman v QatarOman v SomaliaOman v United Arab EmiratesOman v YemenPalau v PhilippinesPapua New Guinea v Solomon IslandsPhilippines v TaiwanPoland v RomaniaPoland v SlovakiaPortugal v SpainQatar v United Arab EmiratesRomania v RussiaRussia v TurkmenistanRwanda v TanzaniaRwanda v UgandaSamoa v TongaSaudi Arabia v United Arab EmiratesSaudi Arabia v YemenSeychelles v TanzaniaSlovakia v UkraineSolomon Islands v VanuatuSomalia v TanzaniaSouth Africa v ZimbabweSouth Sudan v SudanSouth Sudan v UgandaSpain v TunisiaSt. Kitts and Nevis v St. LuciaSt. Lucia v Trinidad and TobagoSudan v UgandaSuriname v Trinidad and TobagoSweden v United KingdomTajikistan v UzbekistanTürkiye v VaticanTurkmenistan v UzbekistanZambia v Zimbabwe