India continues to be world’s largest arms importer
Despite a decline in the last five years, India continues to be the world’s top arms importer. However, according to an analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), European countries have been aggressively importing arms in recent years.
India and Saudi Arabia are among the top arms importers.
The United States and four other countries account for over three-quarters of all arms exports.
Imports of major arms by European nations rose by 47 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22, while the global volume of arms transfers fell 5.1 per cent in the same period.
Twenty-nine countries supplied arms to Ukraine in 2022. The US has emerged as a major arms supplier to Ukraine, accounting for 35 per cent of total arms imports.
Russia was India’s largest arms supplier, but its market share dropped around 19 percentage points from 2013-17 to 2018-22.
The global volume of international arms transfers fell by 5.1 per cent. In contrast, Ukraine did become a major importer of arms in 2022. Imports of significant arms by European countries rose by 47 per cent between 2013–17 and 2018–22. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war may have played a big role.
