Arms Trade Statistics at a glance
The latest arms trade statistics show a market that is both concentrated and rapidly rebalanced. A small group of exporters still dominates global supply, but the biggest story in the data is how sharply demand has shifted toward Europe, Ukraine, and NATO-linked procurement (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Fast facts
- 64 states were identified as exporters of major arms in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- The five largest exporters accounted for 72% of global arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- 162 states were identified as importers of major arms in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- The top five importers received 35% of global arms imports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Ukraine was the world?s largest arms importer in 2023, 2024, and for 2020-24 overall (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Table of contents
- Arms trade market structure
- Top exporters and growth trends
- Top importers and regional demand
- Ukraine, NATO, and Europe
- Small arms trade and regional shifts
- What the numbers suggest
Arms trade market structure
The core arms trade picture is a classic concentration story: most states participate, but the value is controlled by a handful of major suppliers. That pattern is visible in both the exporter and importer side of the market (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Big number: the United States alone held a 43% share of global arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024). That single figure is larger than the combined shares of many major exporters and gives the United States outsized influence over the global transfer system.
The rest of the top tier is still substantial, but far behind the leader:
- France: 9.6% of global arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Russia: 7.8% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- China: 5.9% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Germany: 5.6% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Together with the United States, those five exporters accounted for 72% of global arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024). That means the global market is not just concentrated; it is concentrated at the very top.
Exporter concentration by supplier
| Exporter | Share of global arms exports, 2020-24 | Change from 2015-19 |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 43% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +21% |
| France | 9.6% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +11% |
| Russia | 7.8% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -64% |
| China | 5.9% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -5.4% |
| Germany | 5.6% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -2.6% |
| Italy | 4.8% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +138% |
| United Kingdom | 3.6% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -1.4% |
| Israel | 3.1% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -2.0% |
| Spain | 3.0% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +29% |
| South Korea | 2.2% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +4.9% |
The table shows a useful split in the market:
- The United States and France grew.
- Russia fell sharply.
- Italy and Spain posted large gains.
- China and Germany stayed important, but with modest declines (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
That mix matters because export shares are not just abstract rankings. They reflect production pipelines, delivery speed, geopolitical alignments, and the ability to sustain long procurement relationships.
Top exporters and growth trends
The biggest exporter trends are clearer when viewed as change over time rather than as static shares. The contrast between the major suppliers is stark (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Key takeaways:
- US arms exports grew by 21% between 2015-19 and 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- French arms exports grew by 11% over the same period (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Russian arms exports fell by 64% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Italian arms exports rose by 138% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Spanish arms exports rose by 29% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Those changes show that arms trade statistics are not just about who is biggest today. They also reveal which suppliers are gaining momentum and which ones are losing ground.
Why the exporter shift matters
When a supplier?s share rises quickly, it often signals that buyers are diversifying away from older channels or accelerating procurement from states that can deliver fast. When a supplier?s share falls sharply, it can reflect sanctions pressure, production disruption, or reduced market access. The supplied statistics do not tell you the political cause directly, but they do show the market outcome clearly (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Pull-quote style stat highlight:
The most dramatic supplier move in the dataset is Russia?s 64% decline in arms exports from 2015-19 to 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
That fall stands out against the growth posted by the United States, France, Italy, Spain, and South Korea. Even without additional context, the direction of travel is unmistakable: the global export map is being rewritten.
Top importers and regional demand
On the demand side, the market is just as concentrated. SIPRI identified 162 states as importers of major arms in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024), but the top five importers still absorbed 35% of global arms imports.
The top five importers were:
- Ukraine
- India
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Pakistan (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024)
Importer concentration by buyer
| Importer | Share of global arms imports, 2020-24 | Change from 2015-19 |
|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 8.8% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +9,627% |
| India | 8.3% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -9.3% |
| Qatar | 6.8% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +127% |
| Saudi Arabia | 6.8% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -41% |
| Pakistan | 4.6% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +61% |
| Japan | 3.9% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +93% |
| Australia | 3.5% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -27% |
| Egypt | 3.3% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | -44% |
| United States | 3.1% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +67% |
| Kuwait | 2.9% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024) | +466% |
This is one of the clearest parts of the arms trade statistics dataset: growth is not evenly distributed. Some states saw huge percentage increases, while others fell sharply. That combination points to a market driven by security shocks, inventory replenishment, modernization programs, and regional pressure.
At a glance:
- Ukraine is the dominant outlier on growth, with a 9,627% rise from 2015-19 to 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Kuwait rose 466% over the same period (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Japan rose 93% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Saudi Arabia fell 41% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Egypt fell 44% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Regional import shares
Regional shares help show where arms demand is strongest overall:
- Asia and Oceania: 33% of global arms imports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Europe: 28% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Middle East: 27% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Americas: 6.2% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Africa: 4.5% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
The regional split is useful because it shows that the market is not dominated by one geography. Instead, it is split across three major theaters: Asia and Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East.
Ukraine, NATO, and Europe
No reading of current arms trade statistics is complete without Ukraine. Ukraine was the world?s largest arms importer in 2023, 2024, and for 2020-24 overall (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024). That fact alone makes the region central to the latest market structure.
At least 35 states supplied major arms to Ukraine after the Russian invasion began in February 2022 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024). That breadth of supply tells you how broad the coalition became.
Ukraine?s main suppliers
- United States: 45% of major arms transferred to Ukraine in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Germany: 12% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Poland: 11% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Ukraine also received missiles with a range of 300 km from France, the UK and the USA in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024). Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway delivered combat aircraft to Ukraine in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
Why it matters: the Ukraine numbers show that arms trade statistics can change fast when emergency procurement and battlefield replenishment dominate decision-making. They also help explain why Europe?s share of US arms exports rose so sharply.
Europe?s growing role in US exports
US arms exports to European states rose by 233% between 2015-19 and 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024). Europe?s share of US arms exports increased from 13% in 2015-19 to 35% in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
The region?s importance is also visible in the data on European NATO states:
- Their arms imports more than doubled, rising 105% between 2015-19 and 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- The USA supplied 64% of those imports (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- France supplied 6.5% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- South Korea supplied 6.5% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Germany supplied 4.7% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Israel supplied 3.9% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
European NATO states also had 472 combat aircraft on order with the USA and 150 combat helicopters on order with the USA by the end of 2024 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024). Those pending deliveries indicate that the demand impulse was not a one-year event; it extended into future procurement.
Small arms trade and regional shifts
The dataset is not limited to major arms. It also includes a separate picture for the small arms trade, and those figures show a market that has expanded sharply since 2019.
The global small arms trade measured in reported exports was worth USD 9.2 billion in 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update). That was up 86% from USD 5 billion in 2019 (Small Arms Survey Global update). Reported global small arms imports rose 46% to USD 7.8 billion in 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
Small arms composition
| Category | Share of reported global small arms imports, 2019-24 |
|---|---|
| Ammunition | 35% (Small Arms Survey Global update) |
| Sporting and hunting shotguns and rifles | 21% (Small Arms Survey Global update) |
| Pistols and revolvers | 18% (Small Arms Survey Global update) |
| Parts and components | 16% (Small Arms Survey Global update) |
| Military firearms | just under 6% (Small Arms Survey Global update) |
| Light weapons | 4% (Small Arms Survey Global update) |
This table shows that the small-arms market is not just about firearms as a single category. Ammunition is the largest import segment, and the mix of sporting, hunting, defensive, and military categories gives the market a broader base than major-arms trade.
Small-arms exporters
The leading reported exporters between 2019 and 2024 were:
- United States: USD 8.7 billion (Small Arms Survey Global update)
- Italy: USD 4.3 billion (Small Arms Survey Global update)
- T?rkiye: USD 3 billion (Small Arms Survey Global update)
- Germany: USD 2.9 billion (Small Arms Survey Global update)
- Brazil: USD 2.5 billion (Small Arms Survey Global update)
The five leading small-arms exporters accounted for 54% of reported global exports from 2019 to 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update). So even in a wider market segment, the top suppliers still matter disproportionately.
A few exporter changes stand out:
- Slovakia?s reported small-arms exports multiplied by 22 between 2019 and 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- South Korea?s exports multiplied by 5 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- T?rkiye?s exports multiplied by 2.3 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Spain?s exports multiplied by 2.2 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Brazil?s and Italy?s exports multiplied by 1.4 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
Small-arms importers and Europe
The USA imported USD 18.5 billion of small arms from 2019 to 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update), far more than any other importer in the supplied data. Canada imported USD 1.9 billion, Poland USD 1.7 billion, Germany USD 1.4 billion, and Slovakia USD 1.1 billion over the same period (Small Arms Survey Global update).
Europe is the largest regional bloc in reported small-arms exports and imports:
- Europe accounted for 51% of reported global small-arms exports between 2019 and 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- The Americas accounted for 31% (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Asia accounted for 17% (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Europe accounted for 40% of reported global small-arms imports in 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
Eastern Europe is especially notable. European countries reported a 141% increase in small-arms imports between 2019 and 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update). Eastern European countries? import value multiplied by more than ten between 2019 and 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
Eastern Europe by category
- Ammunition accounted for 55% of reported Eastern European small-arms imports (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Light weapons accounted for 20% (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Parts and components accounted for 11% (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Partner data said ammunition accounted for 58% of partner-reported transfers to Eastern Europe (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Partner data said light weapons accounted for 18% (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- Partner data said sporting and hunting shotguns and rifles accounted for 9% (Small Arms Survey Global update).
The regional supplier mix is also important:
- In importer data, 61% of Eastern Europe?s small-arms imports came from Europe, 22% from Asia, and 17% from the Americas (Small Arms Survey Global update).
- In partner data, 39% of exports to Eastern Europe came from the Americas, 36% from Europe, and 19% from Asia (Small Arms Survey Global update).
That mismatch between reporting streams is itself a useful statistics story: the trade is large enough, and varied enough, that measurement can differ depending on the source and the reporting method.
What the numbers suggest
The strongest reading of the arms trade statistics is that the market is being pulled by a few giant procurement and supply hubs. The United States dominates exports, Ukraine dominates import growth, Europe is absorbing a much larger share of US supply, and small arms trade has expanded sharply in value (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024; Small Arms Survey Global update).
Key patterns to watch
- Export concentration remains extremely high, with the top five exporters at 72% of global arms exports (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Import concentration is also high, with the top five importers at 35% of global arms imports (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Ukraine?s demand surge is the single largest shift in the dataset, with imports up 9,627% from 2015-19 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Russia?s export decline is the biggest supplier-side disruption, down 64% over the same period (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024).
- Small arms trade is growing quickly enough to matter on its own, with global exports up 86% from 2019 to 2024 (Small Arms Survey Global update).
The numbers also suggest that the market is increasingly defined by regional security pressure rather than just legacy procurement relationships. Europe?s growing share of US exports, Eastern Europe?s import spike, and the rise of emergency deliveries all point in that direction (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024; Small Arms Survey Global update).
For readers tracking arms trade statistics over time, the most useful comparison is not one figure in isolation. It is the balance between exporter concentration, importer shocks, regional reallocation, and the fast-moving small-arms segment. Those layers together explain why the latest data looks more volatile than a simple ranking list would suggest.