Nine of the 10 biggest arms importers in 2019–23 were countries in Asia (including the Middle East) and Oceania, according to a report on international arms transfers released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Ukraine became the fourth biggest arms importer globally after it received transfers of major arms from over 30 states in 2022–23, the institute reported.
As for arms exporting countries, the United States, number one on the list, saw a rise of 17% between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while exports by Russia fell by more than half (53%). Arms exports from France grew by 47% and it supplanted Russia as number two on the global list.
Excerpts from the SIPRI report follow:
Asia-Pacific importers
Arms imports by states in East Asia (down 6.1%), Oceania (down 10%) and Southeast Asia (down 43%) decreased between 2014–18 and 2019–23.
China’s arms imports fell by 44% and accounted for 2.9% of the global total in 2019–23. The vast majority of Chinese arms imports (77%) came from Russia. The drop in Chinese imports is due to China’s growing ability to design and produce its own major arms. Its arms imports will probably decrease further as it develops this capacity.
Japan and South Korea are expanding their military capabilities, mainly because of tensions with China and North Korea. Japan (up 155%) and South Korea (up 6.5%) increased their arms imports between 2014–18 and 2019–23. The USA is the main supplier to both states, accounting for 97 per cent of Japan’s arms imports and 72 per cent of South Korea’s.
The two states are investing heavily in long-range strike capabilities. The USA supplied 29 combat aircraft to Japan and 34 to South Korea in 2019–23.
In the category of land-attack missiles with a range of 1000 km or more, in 2023 Japan ordered 400 and planned to order 50 more. These will, for the first time, give Japan the capability to reach targets deep inside China or North Korea.
Taiwan’s arms imports dropped by 69% between 2014–18 and 2019–23 despite heightened tensions with China. However, major deliveries are planned to take place over the next five years, including deliveries of 66 combat aircraft, 108 tanks and 460 anti-ship missiles. All these planned deliveries are from the USA, which supplied over 99 per cent of Taiwanese arms imports in 2019–23.
Australia was the eighth largest arms importer in 2019–23. Despite an overall 21% decline in its overall arms imports during the period, in 2023 it reached an agreement with the UK and the USA to import at least six nuclear-powered submarines. Australia ordered over 300 long-range missiles from the US. (Outside the region, Finland ordered 200 or those and Germany 75. Canada and the Netherlands have also decided to acquire them.)
Arms imports by Southeast Asian states fell by 43% between 2014–18 and 2019–23. However, tensions, mainly with China, continue to drive arms acquisitions by many states in the subregion.
For example, arms imports by the Philippines (up 105%) and by Singapore (up 17%) increased between the two periods. In addition, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore all placed substantial orders for combat aircraft and ships in 2019–23.
Myanmar, which accounted for 10% of all South East Asian imports, used imported major arms in internal conflicts in 2019–23. Its arms imports in the period mainly came from Russia (38%), China (26%) and India (18%).
India’s tensions with Pakistan and China largely drive its arms imports. India’s arms imports increased by 4.7% between 2014–18 and 2019–23, making it the world’s biggest arms importer in 2019–23 with a 9.8% share of all arms imports.
Russia remained India’s main supplier, but its share of Indian arms imports has shrunk from 76% in 2009–13 to 58%in 2014–18 and then to 36% in 2019–23.
India has instead looked to Western suppliers, most notably France and the USA, and its own arms industry to meet its demand for major arms. This shift is also visible in India’s new orders, many of which are placed with Western suppliers, and its arms procurement plans, which seemingly do not include any Russian options.
Arms imports by Pakistan grew by 43% between 2014–18 and 2019–23 and accounted for 4.3% of the world total, making it the fifth largest arms importer globally. Pakistan continued to strengthen its arms procurement relations with China: 82% of its arms imports came from China in 2019–23, as against 69% in 2014–18, and 51% in 2009–13.
Arms imports by states in the Middle East were 12% lower in 2019–23 than in 2014–18. Three of the top 10 arms importers in 2019–23 were in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. The USA accounted for 52% of Middle Eastern arms imports. The next biggest suppliers were France (12%), Italy (10%) and Germany (7.1%).
Arms imports and the war in Ukraine
At least 30 states supplied major arms to Ukraine after the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, mostly as military aid, meaning that Ukraine was by some distance the world’s largest arms importer in the year 2023.
The USA supplied 39% of Ukrainian arms imports in 2019–23, followed by Germany (14%) and Poland (13%). To broaden Ukraine’s military capabilities, suppliers began to deliver long-range systems in 2023.
For example, Poland and Slovakia donated 27 surplus combat aircraft, and France and the UK supplied missiles with a range of 300 kilometers. During the year, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway also started to prepare for the delivery of over 50 surplus combat aircraft.
Russia relies primarily on its own industry for its major arms. However, in 2022–23 it imported flying bombs from Iran and ballistic missiles from North Korea, the latter in violation of a United Nations arms embargo on North Korea.
Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014 increased the demand for arms in West and Central European states. For example, by the end of 2023 these states had a total of 791 combat aircraft and combat helicopters on order for import.
After it launched the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia began a campaign of missile attacks against Ukraine. In response, many West and Central European states supplied air defense systems to Ukraine and several placed new import orders for them or accelerated existing procurement processes.
In 2023 Poland ordered 12 air defense systems from the USA, and Germany ordered a single but particularly high-value system from Israel. In 2022–23 Austria, Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia ordered air defense systems from Germany, while Finland and Slovakia ordered Israeli systems, and Lithuania and the Netherlands ordered Norwegian systems.
In addition, some states ordered missiles for systems being produced domestically or to arm newly acquired imports or their existing systems. For example, in 2023 Poland and Norway ordered missiles from the UK and the USA, respectively, for their new systems, while Germany ordered 500 missiles and Romania 200, all from the USA, for their existing systems.
Read the full study here. Its authors: Pieter D. Wezeman (Netherlands/Sweden) is a senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Program. Katarina Djokic (Serbia) is a researcher, Mathew George (India) is the director, Zain Hussain (United Kingdom) is a researcher, and Siemon T. Wezeman (Netherlands) is a senior researcher with the program.