The largest importer of major arms between 2016 and 2020, Saudi Arabia, accounted for 11% of the global market. India followed with 9.5% of the market share, according to new data on global arms transfers published by SIPRI, while Egypt stood third. Australia was the 4th-largest arms importer in the world over the past five years, with China ranking 5th.
Middle Eastern arms imports grew by 25 percent in the period, driven chiefly by Saudi Arabia (+61%), Egypt (+136%), and Qatar (+361%). Over half of France’s arms exports were to Egypt, Qatar, and India.
These Are The World's Biggest Importers Of Major Arms
| Rank | Country | Share of arms imports (%) 2016–20 | Main suppliers (share of importer’s total imports, %) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 11 | USA (79) |
| 2 | India | 9.5 | Russia (49) |
| 3 | Egypt | 5.8 | Russia (41) |
| 4 | Australia | 5.1 | USA (69) |
| 5 | China | 4.7 | Russia (77) |
| 6 | Algeria | 4.3 | Russia (69) |
| 7 | South Korea | 4.3 | USA (58) |
| 8 | Qatar | 3.8 | USA (47) |
| 9 | UAE | 3 | USA (64) |
| 10 | Pakistan | 2.7 | China (74) |
| 11 | Iraq | 2.5 | USA (41) |
| 12 | Japan | 2.2 | USA (97) |
| 13 | United States | 2.1 | UK (22) |
| 14 | United Kingdom | 2.1 | USA (72) |
| 15 | Israel | 1.9 | USA (92) |
| 16 | VietNam | 1.8 | Russia (66) |
| 17 | Singapore | 1.7 | USA (36) |
| 18 | Indonesia | 1.7 | USA (23) |
| 19 | Italy | 1.5 | USA (62) |
| 20 | Turkey | 1.5 | USA (29) |
| 21 | Norway | 1.3 | USA (79) |
| 22 | Bangladesh | 1.2 | China (71) |
| 23 | Thailand | 1.2 | South Korea (26) |
| 24 | Oman | 1.2 | UK (47) |
| 25 | Afghanistan | 1 | USA (89) |
| 26 | Netherlands | 1 | USA (90) |
| 27 | Kazakhstan | 1 | Russia (89) |
| 28 | Jordan | 0.9 | USA (36) |
| 29 | Morocco | 0.9 | USA (90) |
| 30 | Canada | 0.8 | USA (48) |
| 31 | Philippines | 0.8 | South Korea (42) |
| 32 | Azerbaijan | 0.7 | Israel (69) |
| 33 | Myanmar | 0.7 | China (48) |
| 34 | Taiwan | 0.6 | USA (100) |
| 35 | Mexico | 0.6 | USA (49) |
| 36 | Poland | 0.6 | USA (33) |
| 37 | Brazil | 0.6 | France (23) |
| 38 | Belarus | 0.5 | Russia (99) |
| 39 | Angola | 0.5 | Russia (64) |
| 40 | Malaysia | 0.5 | Spain (32) |
Bring the best of the CEOWORLD magazine's global journalism to audiences in the United States and around the world. - Add CEOWORLD magazine to your Google News feed.
Follow CEOWORLD magazine headlines on: Google News, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Copyright 2025 The CEOWORLD magazine. All rights reserved. This material (and any extract from it) must not be copied, redistributed or placed on any website, without CEOWORLD magazine' prior written consent. For media queries, please contact: info@ceoworld.biz
