Weapons exports statistics at a glance
Weapons exports statistics are easiest to read as a story of concentration and change: a small group of countries dominate the global market, while a few others are rising quickly from much smaller bases. The latest figures in the dataset show how sharply the balance of power has shifted across the last two five-year periods.
Fast facts
- The United States held 43% of global arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- France reached 9.6% of global arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Russia fell to 7.8% of global arms exports in 2020-24 after a much larger earlier share (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- China held 5.9% and Germany held 5.6% of global arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- India, Pakistan, Ukraine, and Qatar appear repeatedly as major destination markets across several exporters (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
Table of contents
- Weapons exports statistics by country
- What the biggest exporters changed from 2015-19 to 2020-24
- Where the exports went
- Regional and market patterns
- What the rankings say about the market
Weapons exports statistics by country
The clearest pattern in the dataset is the size gap between the top exporter and the rest. The United States at 43% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024) is far ahead of every other country listed here, while France is the only other exporter above 9%.
That gap matters because it shapes how the rest of the market should be interpreted. In a market this concentrated, even a one-point movement can reflect a meaningful shift in supply volume, buyer preference, or both. The dataset also shows that several exporters with smaller global shares are growing quickly, which makes the ranking less static than it first appears.
Key takeaways
- The top tier is dominated by the United States, France, Russia, China, and Germany.
- Several mid-tier exporters posted strong growth even when their absolute market shares stayed modest.
- The largest destination countries are not evenly distributed across exporters; some countries recur across multiple suppliers.
- A few exporters lost share while others expanded sharply, showing that the market is still moving.
What the biggest exporters changed from 2015-19 to 2020-24
A useful way to read weapons exports statistics is to compare each exporter against its previous five-year period. The dataset gives both the later share and the relative change in export volume, which makes the trend direction visible without needing extra context.
| Exporter | Global share in 2020-24 | Share in 2015-19 | Change in export volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 43% | 35% | +21% |
| France | 9.6% | 8.6% | +11% |
| Russia | 7.8% | 21% | -64% |
| China | 5.9% | 6.2% | -5.4% |
| Germany | 5.6% | 5.7% | -2.6% |
| Italy | 4.8% | 2.0% | +138% |
| United Kingdom | 3.6% | 3.6% | -1.4% |
| Israel | 3.1% | 3.2% | -2.0% |
| Spain | 3.0% | 2.3% | +29% |
| South Korea | 2.2% | 2.1% | +4.9% |
| Türkiye | 1.7% | 0.8% | +103% |
| Netherlands | 1.2% | 1.9% | -36% |
| Poland | 1.0% | below 0.05% | +4,031% |
| Sweden | 0.9% | 0.5% | +73% |
| Norway | 0.8% | 0.3% | +187% |
| Canada | 0.6% | 0.6% | +2.6% |
| Australia | 0.5% | 0.3% | +54% |
| Iran | 0.4% | 0.1% | +749% |
The table shows two different stories at once.
First, the biggest suppliers are not all growing at the same pace. The United States grew by 21% and France by 11% in export volume by 2020-24, while Russia fell by 64% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024). That is a dramatic swing for a country that still remains a top exporter by share.
Second, some countries are climbing from a much smaller base. Italy’s 138% increase, Türkiye’s 103% increase, Norway’s 187% increase, and Poland’s 4,031% increase show how quickly a lower-share exporter can move in relative terms (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024). Those figures do not mean these countries match the top exporters in absolute scale, but they do show momentum.
Why the changes matter
- A large share gain at the top can affect the market more than a large percentage gain from a low base.
- A sharp decline from an established exporter can reshape buyer relationships over a single five-year period.
- Countries with modest shares can still become important suppliers in specific buyer markets.
Where the exports went
The destination-side data is just as revealing as the exporter rankings. Several buyers are heavily associated with particular suppliers, and some appear across more than one exporter, which suggests a mix of long-term procurement ties and diversified sourcing.
Major destination patterns
- Saudi Arabia received 12% of U.S. arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- India received 28% of French arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- India received 38% of Russian arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Pakistan received 63% of Chinese arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Ukraine received 19% of German arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Qatar received 28% of Italian arms exports and 28% of U.K. arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- India received 34% of Israeli arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Saudi Arabia received 24% of Spanish arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Poland received 46% of South Korean arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- The UAE received 18% of Turkish arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- The United States received 23% of Dutch arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Ukraine received 96% of Polish arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Brazil received 22% of Swedish arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- The United States received 28% of Norwegian arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Ukraine received 30% of Canadian arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Chile received 32% of Australian arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Russia received 80% of Iranian arms exports in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
Destinations that show concentration
Some of the destination shares are strikingly concentrated. Pakistan at 63% of Chinese exports and Ukraine at 96% of Polish exports stand out immediately because they imply a very narrow client profile for those exporters in the current period (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
Other destinations appear across multiple exporters. India is a recurring buyer for France, Russia, and Israel. Qatar appears for both Italy and the United Kingdom. Ukraine appears for Germany, Poland, and Canada. That cross-appearance is important because it suggests the same buyer can play different roles in different supplier relationships.
Quick comparison table: repeated buyers
| Buyer | Exporters in the dataset | Share examples |
|---|---|---|
| India | France, Russia, Israel | 28%, 38%, 34% |
| Qatar | Italy, United Kingdom | 28%, 28% |
| Ukraine | Germany, Poland, Canada | 19%, 96%, 30% |
| Saudi Arabia | United States, Spain | 12%, 24% |
| United States | Netherlands, Norway | 23%, 28% |
That comparison helps show why a simple list of top exporters is incomplete. Weapons exports statistics are also about where the products end up, and the destination concentration can be as revealing as the exporter share itself.
Regional and market patterns
The exporter list includes a mix of North American, European, Middle Eastern, and Asian suppliers, but the major trend is not geographic diversity for its own sake. It is the uneven pace of change.
Growth and decline stand side by side
- Strong growth: Italy, Türkiye, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Spain, France, and the United States all show gains in export volume by 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Flat or near-flat movement: The United Kingdom and Canada stayed close to steady, with small positive or negative changes (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
- Decline: Russia, China, Germany, Israel, and the Netherlands posted declines or mild softening in export volume (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
The dataset suggests that market leadership is not just about holding position. It is also about whether a country can translate its defense-industrial base into rising export volume over time.
Big number callouts
43% of global arms exports came from the United States in 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
7.8% was Russia’s share in 2020-24, down from 21% in 2015-19 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
1.0% was Poland’s share in 2020-24, up from below 0.05% in 2015-19 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
4,031% was Poland’s reported increase in export volume by 2020-24 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
Those numbers are useful because they show the spread of the market in one glance. The first two are about dominance and decline at the top. The third and fourth show how fast the lower end can move when a country scales up from a tiny base.
What the rankings say about the market
The ranking structure matters because it separates exporters into different competitive bands.
The top band
The top band is clear: the United States, France, Russia, China, and Germany all sit near the front of the global market in 2020-24, with the United States in a class of its own at 43% (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
The middle band
The middle band includes Italy, the United Kingdom, Israel, Spain, and South Korea, all of which hold meaningful shares but do not approach the U.S. level (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024). This is the area where modest percentage changes can have visible rank implications.
The fast-rising smaller band
The smaller-shares group is where the strongest relative growth shows up. Türkiye, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Australia, and Iran all posted strong gains in export volume, with Poland’s growth especially notable because it started from below 0.05% in 2015-19 (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).
What to watch in the next cycle
- Whether the United States maintains a share above 40%.
- Whether France keeps expanding while Russia continues to contract.
- Whether Italy, Türkiye, and Poland can turn strong growth into larger global shares.
- Whether buyer concentration remains high for countries such as China, Poland, and Iran.
- Whether destination overlap around India, Ukraine, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia becomes even more visible.
Weapons exports statistics are ultimately a market map. The numbers here show not just who sells the most, but who is gaining, who is losing, and which buyer relationships appear to anchor the system (SIPRI Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024).