HEAD TO HEAD
Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates
Verdict
Saudi Arabia holds a 74–26 advantage over United Arab Emirates on the Relative Advantage Index, a decisive margin.
The margin is driven by military spending (79% of the combined total, $83.2bn) and economic size (GDP) (69% of the combined total, $1.2tn).
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side.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 | Saudi Arabia | Share | United Arab Emirates | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $83.2bn | 79%21% | $22.8bn | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $1.2tn | 69%31% | $552bn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 257.0k | 76%24% | 83.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 50 | 70%30% | 21 | 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.
