HEAD TO HEAD
Japan vs Saudi Arabia
Verdict
Japan holds a 61–39 advantage over Saudi Arabia on the Relative Advantage Index, a clear margin.
The margin is driven by economic size (GDP) (76% of the combined total, $4.0tn) and logistics & power projection (84% of the combined total, 270). Saudi Arabia leads on military spending and active personnel.
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side.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 | Japan | Share | Saudi Arabia | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $62.2bn | 43%57% | $83.2bn | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $4.0tn | 76%24% | $1.2tn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 247.0k | 49%51% | 257.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 270 | 84%16% | 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.
