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SIPRI Fact Sheets

Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2023

Imports of major arms by states in Europe increased by 94 per cent between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while the global volume of international arms transfers decreased marginally, by 3.3 per cent. There were overall decreases in arms transfers to all other regions, but states in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East continued to import arms in much larger volumes than those in Europe. Nine of the 10 biggest arms importers in 2019–23, including the top 3 of India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, were in Asia and Oceania or the Middle East.

The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2022

The combined arms revenue of the world’s largest arms-producing and military services companies (the SIPRI Top 100) was $597 billion in 2022. This represents a 3.5 per cent decrease in their arms revenue from 2021 in real terms. This fact sheet lists the SIPRI Top 100 for 2022 from the updated SIPRI Arms Industry Database and describes the trends in international arms revenue that are revealed by the new data.

Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2022

World military expenditure rose by 3.7 per cent in real terms in 2022, to reach a record high of $2240 billion. Global spending grew by 19 per cent over the decade 2013–22 and has risen every year since 2015. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a major driver of the growth in spending in 2022. Military expenditure in Europe rose by 13 per cent during the year, which was the largest annual increase in total European spending in the post-cold war era.

Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2022

Imports of major arms by European states rose by 47 per cent between 2013–17 and 2018–22, while the global volume of international arms transfers fell by 5.1 per cent. There were decreases in arms transfers to Africa (–40 per cent), the Americas (–21 per cent), Asia and Oceania (–7.5 per cent) and the Middle East (–8.8 per cent) between the two periods. The five largest arms importers in 2018–22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China. The five largest arms exporters were the United States, Russia, France, China and Germany.

The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2021

The combined arms sales of the world’s largest arms-producing and military services companies (the SIPRI Top 100) were $592 billion in 2021, which was an increase of 1.9 per cent in their arms sales compared with 2020. This fact sheet lists the SIPRI Top 100 for 2021 from the updated SIPRI Arms Industry Database and describes the trends in international arms sales that are revealed by the new data.

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