Ukraine is the largest arms importer in the world, the dominance of the United States in global arms exports is increasing, while Russian exports continue to decline, according to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on March 10, reports UNN.
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"Ukraine has become the world's largest importer of major arms during the period 2020-2024, with its imports increasing nearly 100 times compared to 2015-2019. Overall, European arms imports rose by 155 percent during the same periods, as countries responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty regarding the future of U.S. foreign policy," the report states.
According to new data on international arms deliveries published by SIPRI, the United States has further increased its share of global arms exports to 43 percent, while Russian exports fell by 64 percent.
The total volume of arms deliveries worldwide remained approximately at the same level as in 2015-2019 and 2010-2014 (but was 18 percent higher than in 2005-2009), as the increase in imports in Europe and America was offset by a decrease in other regions. The top 10 arms exporters in 2020-2024 were the same as in 2015-2019, but Russia (which accounted for 7.8 percent of global arms exports) dropped to third place behind France (9.6 percent), while Italy (4.8 percent) jumped from 10th to 6th place.
"At least 35 countries sent arms to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and significant supplies are still being prepared. Ukraine received 8.8% of global arms imports in 2020-2024. The largest amount of arms supplied to Ukraine came from the U.S. (45%), followed by Germany (12%) and Poland (11%). Ukraine was the only European country among the top 10 importers in 2020-2024, although many other European countries significantly increased arms imports during this period," the report states.
"The new figures on arms deliveries clearly reflect the rearmament taking place among European states in response to the threat from Russia," said Matthew George, program director of SIPRI's arms supply program. "However, some major arms importers, including Saudi Arabia, India, and China, have seen significant declines in import volumes for various reasons, despite a high perception of threat in their regions."
European NATO members are increasing their dependence on arms supplied by the U.S.
Arms imports by European NATO members more than doubled between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 (+105 percent). The U.S. supplied 64 percent of this arms, significantly more than in 2015-2019 (52 percent). Other major suppliers included France and South Korea (6.5 percent each), Germany (4.7 percent), and Israel (3.9 percent).
"Given the increasingly aggressive Russia and transatlantic relations during Trump's first presidency, European NATO countries took steps to reduce their dependence on arms imports and strengthen the European defense industry," said Peter Wezeman, senior researcher at SIPRI's arms supply program. "But transatlantic relations regarding arms supply have deep roots. Imports from the U.S. have increased, and European NATO countries have nearly 500 combat aircraft and many other weapons still ordered from the U.S."
The U.S. continues to increase its share of arms exports while Russian exports decline
U.S. arms exports increased by 21 percent between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024, and their share of global arms exports rose from 35 to 43 percent. In 2020-2024, the U.S. supplied major arms to 107 countries.
For the first time in two decades, the largest share of U.S. arms exports in 2020-2024 went to Europe (35 percent), rather than the Middle East (33 percent). Nevertheless, the largest recipient of American arms was Saudi Arabia (12 percent of U.S. arms exports).
"The U.S. is in a unique position when it comes to arms exports. Its share of global arms exports is 43 percent, which is more than four times the share of the next largest exporter, France," said Matthew George. "The U.S. continues to be a supplier of advanced long-range strike capabilities, such as combat aircraft."
In contrast to the U.S., Russian arms exports plummeted (-64 percent) between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. The decline began even before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022: in 2020 and 2021, export volumes were much lower than in any year over the previous two decades.
"The war against Ukraine has further accelerated the decline of Russian arms exports, as more weapons are needed on the battlefield, trade sanctions complicate the production and sale of arms from Russia, and the U.S. and its allies are pressuring countries not to buy Russian arms," said Peter Wezeman. "Two of Russia's most important arms trade relationships had already weakened by 2022: India is increasingly favoring other suppliers, and China is receiving more arms from its developing defense industry."
In 2020-2024, Russia supplied major arms to 33 countries. Two-thirds of Russian arms exports went to three countries: India (38 percent), China (17 percent), and Kazakhstan (11 percent).
In 2020-2024, France became the second-largest arms supplier in the world, supplying arms to 65 countries. French exports of major arms to other European countries nearly tripled between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 (+187 percent). This was mainly due to deliveries of combat aircraft to Greece and Croatia, as well as arms supplies to Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, SIPRI notes.
Nevertheless, India received the largest share of French arms exports (28 percent) - almost double the share received by all European recipients combined (15 percent). The second-largest recipient of arms from France was Qatar (9.7 percent of French arms exports).
In 2020-2024, China was the fourth-largest arms exporter, accounting for 5.9 percent of global arms exports. Despite China's efforts to increase arms exports, many major importers do not purchase Chinese arms for political reasons.
India was the second-largest arms importer in the world, and its imports reflected the perceived threat from both China and Pakistan. However, its imports decreased by 9.3 percent between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. The largest share of Indian arms imports (36 percent) came from Russia, which is significantly less than in 2015-2019 (55 percent) and 2010-2014 (72 percent). Arms imports by Pakistan increased by 61 percent between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. China became an even more dominant supplier, accounting for 81 percent of Pakistan's arms imports in 2020-2024 compared to 74 percent in 2015-2019.
With a sharp decline in arms imports by China and a noticeable reduction in imports by Taiwan (-27 percent) and South Korea (-24 percent), arms imports by East Asian countries decreased by 22 percent between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024. Japan (+93 percent) was the only East Asian country where an increase in arms imports was observed.
"North Korea exported artillery and missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. In doing so, both countries violated UN sanctions against North Korea," the report states.