India Ranks Second Globally in Arms Imports as Ukraine Takes Top Position: SIPRI Report

The latest data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that India was the world’s second-largest importer of major arms during the 2021–2025 period, accounting for 8.2 percent of total global imports.

According to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database updated in March 2026, Ukraine has taken the number one spot for the first time with 9.7 percent of worldwide major arms imports. This represents an extraordinary volume increase of approximately 11,896 percent compared with the 2016–2020 period, driven overwhelmingly by large-scale military assistance packages provided after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

India’s main suppliers in the most recent five-year period were Russia (36 percent), France (29 percent) and Israel (13 percent). The continued high ranking reflects India’s ongoing military modernisation programme amid persistent regional security concerns. While reliance on Russian-origin equipment has declined from earlier periods, Russia remains the single largest supplier. At the same time, deepening cooperation with France, particularly for Rafale fighters and submarine programmes, the United States and Israel demonstrates New Delhi’s deliberate strategy of diversifying procurement sources.

Ukraine received the largest share of its imports from the United States (41 percent), followed by Germany (14 percent) and Poland (9.4 percent), with Israel also featuring among key providers. Saudi Arabia ranked third globally with 6.8 percent, Qatar fourth with 6.4 percent, and Pakistan fifth with 4.2 percent.

Russia itself fell sharply to 21st place among recipient countries, illustrating both constraints on its export capacity and broader shifts in international alignments.

The report highlights Europe’s emergence as the largest arms-importing region overall, largely because of NATO members’ response to the war in Ukraine. Poland recorded the second-highest percentage growth among the top forty importers at 852 percent.

The United States continues to dominate global arms exports, while France has significantly expanded its market share, especially in India, the Middle East and parts of Europe. China is steadily increasing its presence in South Asia and several African markets.

The findings underline how the conflict in Ukraine has fundamentally altered patterns of global arms trade, with lasting implications for security dynamics across South Asia and beyond. The complete ranking of the forty largest recipients and their principal suppliers is available in SIPRI’s March 2026 update.