HEAD TO HEAD
France vs Saudi Arabia
Verdict
France holds a 59–41 advantage over Saudi Arabia on the Relative Advantage Index.
The margin is driven by economic size (GDP) (72% of the combined total, $3.2tn) and logistics & power projection (80% of the combined total, 200). Saudi Arabia leads on active personnel and military spending.
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side.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
| Factor | France | Share | Saudi Arabia | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $68.0bn | 45%55% | $83.2bn | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $3.2tn | 72%28% | $1.2tn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 203.0k | 44%56% | 257.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 200 | 80%20% | 50 | 20% |
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 2026-10-22.
