The top 10 arms exporters over the five‑year period are as follows:
- United States its share of global arms deliveries from 2021 to 2025 stood at 42%. It supplied weapons to 99 states (35 in Europe, 18 in the Americas, 17 in Africa, 17 in Asia and Oceania, and 12 in the Middle East).
The largest recipients of US arms were Saudi Arabia (12% of US exports), Ukraine (9.4%), and Japan (8.9%).
Over the five years, US arms exports grew by 27%, and its deliveries to Europe increased by 217%.
"The United States further cemented its dominance as an arms supplier, even in an increasingly multipolar world," said Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme. In his words, importers of US arms gain advanced military capabilities, while the US views arms exports as a tool of foreign policy and a means of strengthening its national defence industry. - France its share of global deliveries over the past five years was 9.8%. The republic exported weapons to 63 countries, with the largest recipients being India (24% of French exports), Egypt (11%), and Greece (10%). Within Europe, French exports grew by 452%.
- Russia the only country among the top ten whose arms exports over the past five years, according to SIPRI estimates, declined (down 64%). Its overall share of global deliveries was 6.8%. It supplied weapons to 30 countries, with about 74% of its total exports going to India (48%), China (13%), and Belarus (13%).
Sergey Chemezov, head of the state corporation Rostec, was critical of SIPRI's calculation methodology regarding defence sector companies. "We do not publish this data, like other countries, for example China it is classified. Where do they get it from? They just make it up," he asserted. - Germany over the past five years, it displaced China from that position. Its share of global exports was 5.7%. Nearly a quarter of German arms exports went to Ukraine, followed by Egypt (14%) and Israel (10%).
- China its share of global deliveries over the past five years was 5.6%. Beijing delivered the majority of its military products to Pakistan (61% of Chinese exports), Serbia (6.8%), and Thailand (4.7%).
- Italy from 2021 to 2025, Italian arms exports grew by 157%, with Italy's share of global deliveries at 5.1%. More than half of Italian arms, 59%, go to the Middle East, 16% to Asia and Oceania, and 13% to Europe. Among importers of Italian products, the leaders are Qatar (26%), Kuwait (17%), and Indonesia (12%).
- Israel thanks to an increase in its exports, for the first time overtook the United Kingdom. Its share of global deliveries is 4.4%, with the largest recipients being India (29%), Germany (21%), and the United States (7.8%).
"Despite the war in Gaza and strikes on Iran, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen, Israel nevertheless managed to increase its share of global arms exports," said Zain Hussain, Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme. She noted that the Israeli defence industry is primarily focused on air defence systems, for which there is high global demand. - United Kingdom its share was 3.4%. The largest importers of British arms are Qatar (31% of UK exports), the United States (14%), and Ukraine (13%).
- South Korea 3% of global arms exports, with the bulk of its deliveries going to Poland (58% of South Korean exports), the Philippines (18%), and the UAE (9.5%).
- Spain its share of global deliveries is 2.3%, with the largest recipients of Spanish arms being Saudi Arabia (28% of exports), Turkey (16%), and Belgium (12%).
Ukraine ranks 21st in this list with a share of 0.3% of the global total. The largest buyers of its arms were China (64% of Ukrainian exports), India (23%), and Qatar (5.8%).
As for imports, Europe became the largest buyer over the past five years it imported 33% of global arms deliveries, increasing its imports by 210%. After Ukraine, the largest recipients were Poland and the United Kingdom. Nearly half, 48%, of imported weapons are American, followed by German (7.1%) and French (6.2%) products.
"Although European firms have ramped up arms production, and the new investment support programme provided by the European Union to the defence industry has generated a number of intra‑European orders, in 20212025 European states continued to import American weapons especially combat aircraft and long‑range air defence systems," noted Katarina Djokic, Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.
In other regions Asia and Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa arms purchases declined over the past five years.
