India and Saudi Arabia Become the World's Largest Arms Importers

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India has been recorded as the world's largest importer of weapons in recent years, specifically during the period 2017-2021.

SIPRI reports that India accounted for 11.3% of the global total arms imports from 2017-2021. India surpassed Saudi Arabia, Australia, and China in weapons purchases.

The following is a list of the top 10 largest arms importing countries in the world:

1. India – 11.3% (15,356 units)
2. Saudi Arabia – 11% (14,946 units)
3. Egypt – 5.7% (7,785 units)
4. Australia – 5.4% (7,294 units)
5. China – 4.8% (6,561 units)
6. Qatar – 4.6% (6,194 units)
7. South Korea – 4.1% (5,643 units)
8. Pakistan – 3% (4,069 units)
9. United Arab Emirates – 2.7% (3,778 units)
10. Japan – 2.6% (3,591 units)

Meanwhile, the United States was the world's largest arms exporter, contributing 38.6% of total arms exports during 2017-2021. Russia was second with a contribution of 18.6%.

SIPRI uses Trend Indicator Value (TIV) as a unit price system to measure the volume of arms and components deliveries. TIV is based on the known unit production costs of a core set of weapons and is intended to represent the transfer of military resources rather than their financial value.