The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its 2025 report, which indicates a significant increase in global military expenditure, reaching $2.718 trillion in 2024, a 9.4% increase from the previous year , key updates from SIPRI reports on arms transfers:
- India’s Position: India was the world’s top arms importer in the period of 2019-23, with imports increasing by 4.7% compared to 2014-18 . In 2020-24, India was the second-largest arms importer, accounting for 8.3% of global arms imports . This represents a 9.3% decrease compared to the 2015-2019 period, which may be due to India’s growing capacity to manufacture its own weapons .
- Top Arms Importers: The top 5 arms importers in 2020-24 were Ukraine, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan .
- Main Suppliers: Russia has been India’s main arms supplier, accounting for 36% of India’s arms imports . However, India is diversifying its sources and increasingly turning to countries like France, Israel, and the United States .
- Global Trends:
- Arms imports by European countries increased by 94% between 2014–18 and 2019–23 .
- France has emerged as the world’s second-largest arms exporter .
- U.S. arms exports grew by 17% between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while Russia’s fell by 53% .
- Ukraine: Ukraine became the fourth-largest arms importer globally after receiving major arms transfers from over 30 states in 2022-23 .
- Pakistan: Pakistan’s arms imports increased by 43%, with China supplying 82% of these imports .
- Database Updates: The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database was updated on March 10, 2025, and includes data on transfers of major arms for 1950–2024 .
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