10 Largest Arms Importing Countries; See Where India Stands

In comparison, the country’s imports increased nearly 100-fold between 2015 and 2019.

During the same period, India was the world’s second-largest importer of weapons, primarily due to security concerns regarding China and Pakistan. Nonetheless, between 2015-19 and 2020-24, India’s arms imports decreased by 9.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, new data on international arms transfers released by SIPRI on 10 March showed that Russia’s exports declined by 64 percent, while the United States’ share of global arms exports rose to 43 percent.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has continued since it began in February 2022, prompting diplomatic and humanitarian efforts by various parties to establish sustainable peace in the region.

According to a SIPRI statement, Ukraine surpassed all other countries as the world’s largest importer of major weapons over the 2020-24 period, with imports increasing approximately 100-fold compared to 2015-19.

The total volume of global arms transfers remained roughly the same as in 2015-19 and 2010-14, but was 18 per cent higher than in 2005-09, as rising imports in the Americas and Europe were offset by declining imports in other regions.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, at least 35 states supplied arms to Ukraine, with significantly more deliveries expected. In 2020-24, Ukraine accounted for 8.8 per cent of all global arms imports.

“Most of the major arms supplied to Ukraine came from the US (45 per cent), followed by Germany (12 per cent) and Poland (11 per cent). Ukraine was the only European state among the top 10 importers in 2020-24, although many other European states significantly increased their arms imports during this period,” SIPRI stated in its report.

Additionally, the research revealed that between 2020 and 2024, Russia supplied major armaments to 33 states. The three countries that received two-thirds of Russia’s arms exports were India (38 percent), China (17 percent), and Kazakhstan (11 percent).

The majority of French arms exports were directed to India (28 percent), nearly twice the volume supplied to all other European recipients combined (15 percent). In 2020-24, China accounted for 5.9 percent of global arms exports, making it the world’s fourth-largest exporter. SIPRI noted that despite China’s efforts to increase its arms exports, many major importers avoid purchasing Chinese weapons for political reasons.

Between 2020 and 2024, India, Pakistan, Japan, and Australia were among the world’s top 10 arms importers. Notably, China was removed from the list of the top 10 arms importers for the first time since 1990-94.

According to SIPRI, the global share of major arms imports by the top 10 importers in 2020-24 was as follows:

Rank 1: Ukraine – Share of global arms imports: 8.8%
Top supplier countries: USA, Germany, Poland

Rank 2: India – Share of global arms imports: 8.3%
Top supplier countries: Russia, France, Israel

Rank 3: Qatar – Share of global arms imports: 6.8%
Top supplier countries: USA, Italy, UK

Rank 4: Saudi Arabia – Share of global arms imports: 6.8%
Top supplier countries: USA, Spain, France

Rank 5: Pakistan – Share of global arms imports: 4.6%
Top supplier countries: China, Netherlands, Türkiye

Rank 6: Japan – Share of global arms imports: 3.9%
Top supplier countries: USA, UK, Germany

Rank 7: Australia – Share of global arms imports: 3.5%
Top supplier countries: USA, Spain, Norway

Rank 8: Egypt – Share of global arms imports: 3.3%
Top supplier countries: Germany, Italy, France

Rank 9: United States – Share of global arms imports: 3.1%
Top supplier countries: UK, France, Israel

Rank 10: Kuwait – Share of global arms imports: 2.9%
Top supplier countries: USA, Italy, France