Which nations export the most?

As the war in Ukraine rages on, how is the arms trade faring around the world? Not too bad, thank you, according to a survey by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which tells us that international arms deliveries “remain close to the highest level recorded since the end of the Cold War”. .

On the seller’s side, SIPRI data points to a “substantial” increase in shipments from three of the top five arms exporters (US, France, Germany) while Russian and Chinese arms exports have fallen.
The United States therefore remains at the top of the world ranking with an export share of 37% between 2016 and 2020! Russia remains in second place with 20% of arms transfers, followed by France (8.2%).

The Middle East is the largest arms importing region

On the buyers’ side, nearly half of American arms transfers went to the Middle East (Saudi Arabia alone receiving about a quarter of American exports). The main buyers of French weapons were Qatar, India and Egypt (60% of French exports).
Finally, the strongest growth in arms imports was observed in the Middle East region, reflecting the “regional competition” between several Gulf States.

Check out the ranking of the top eight arms exporting countries in the infographic below.