Global arms flows have increased by over 10% over the past five years, according to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday. In Europe alone, imports have more than tripled.
The significant increase observed in European countries is largely due to arms purchases for Ukraine, but also to strengthen their military capabilities in the face of the perceived threat from Russia, the report explains.
The volume of global arms flows increased by 9.2% between 2021 and 2025 compared to the previous five years, according to SIPRI. The organization compares trends over five years because deliveries under significant contracts can skew annual figures.
While arms imports in Europe have not yet reached Cold War levels, “Europe is now the largest recipient of arms,” said Mathew George, director of SIPRI’s arms transfer program, in a statement to AFP.
“Deliveries to Ukraine since 2022 are the most obvious factor, but most other European states have also started importing significantly more weapons to enhance their military capabilities in the face of the perceived growing threat from Russia,” he specified.
American Arms Take the Lead
European countries accounted for 33% of global arms imports, increasing their imports by 210% compared to the previous five-year period.
Almost half of the imported arms (48%) in Europe came from the United States. The United States dominated arms exports, accounting for 42% of all international arms transfers during this period, up from 36% previously.
Despite Europe’s declared desire for more autonomy, transfers between European countries only represent one-fifth of the flows in the region, notes the specialist. “European suppliers continue to source mainly outside of Europe rather than within it,” Mr. George stated.
Germany surpassed China to become the fourth-largest arms exporter in 2021-2025, with 5.7% of global arms exports. Over a quarter of German exports were destined for Ukraine as aid, with only 17% going to other European countries, meaning more than half left the continent.
The dominance of the United States in supplying Europe is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, Mr. George said, pointing out that over 460 F-35 fighter jets were awaiting delivery.
Middle East
Arms imports in the Middle East decreased by 13% between 2016-2020 and 2021-2025. However, three of the top global importers still came from this region, which received over half of its imports (54%) from the United States.
Saudi Arabia accounted for 6.8% of global imports, while Qatar and Kuwait represented 6.4% and 4.8% respectively.
“In the future, we see a list of pending deliveries for the Middle East,” and once these deliveries are completed, “we could see these figures increase,” Mr. George told AFP.
In terms of exports, the United States leads far ahead of the second-largest exporter, France, whose exports increased by 21%, but only accounted for 9.8% of global arms exports in 2021-2025. Russia, the third-largest global exporter, is the only one among the top ten countries to have seen its exports decrease.
Its arms sales dropped by 64% in volume from 2021-2025 compared to the previous five years, reducing its global share of exports from 21% in 2016-2020 to 6.8% in 2021-2025.
National Production
The decline in Russian exports is due to Moscow using its equipment more for the war in Ukraine, but also because the United States and Europe have urged third countries not to buy Russian arms, Mr. George said.
Additionally, the two main importers of Russian arms, China and India, “are interested in developing and producing defense technologies on their own soil,” Mr. George added. In the case of India, the country is also “looking to diversify its sources of supply.”
China’s decision to develop its production and reduce its Russian imports led to a 72% drop in its overall imports.
According to SIPRI, the country dropped out of the top 10 importers for the first time since the early 1990s.
This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp
