Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2016

The volume of international transfers of major weapons in 2012–16 was 8.4 per cent higher than in 2007–11. This was the highest volume for any five-year period since 1990. The flow of arms to Asia and Oceania and the Middle East increased between 2007–11 and 2012–16, while there was a decrease in the flow to Europe, the Americas and Africa.

The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database now contains information on all international transfers of major conventional weapons from 1950 to the end of 2016. It is the only publicly available resource providing consistent data on international arms transfers for this length of time. This Fact Sheet describes the trends in international arms transfers that are revealed by the new data. It lists the main suppliers and recipients for the period 2012–16 and describes the changes in regional trends.