India, Qatar, Saudi, Pakistan are biggest arms importers globally, study finds

India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were four of the five top arms importers globally between 2020 and 2024, a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) earlier this month has shown.

Ukraine was the world’s largest importer of major weapons over the past five years, accounting for 8.8 per cent of global imports, with its arms imports increasing nearly 100 times compared to the period from 2015 to 2019, SIPRI revealed.

States in the Middle East received the second largest share of US arms exports in 2020–24, 33 per cent, with Saudi Arabia receiving 12 per cent of US arms transfers, making it the largest recipient of American arms exports in 2020–24. Qatar accounted for 7.7 per cent of total US arms exports and Kuwait 4.4  per cent, making them among the US’s top 10 recipients.

An infographic titled ‘Europe’s arms imports increased by 155% in last 5 years’ created in Ankara, Turkiye on March 10, 2025 [Elif Acar – Anadolu Agency]

Both Morocco and Algeria saw decreases in arms imports, Algiers by 73 per cent and Morocco by 26 per cent, SIPRI reported. It added that based on its pending deliveries, Morocco’s arms imports are expected to increase in the coming years.

It also found that the five largest arms exporters in 2020–24 were the United States, France, Russia, China and Germany.

Three states accounted for almost half of all German arms exports: Ukraine (19 per cent), Egypt (19 per cent) and Israel (11 per cent).

More than half of Middle Eastern arms imports came from the USA – 52 per cent. The next largest suppliers to the region were Italy – accounting for 13 per cent of regional arms imports, France – 9.8 per cent – and Germany at 7.6 per cent.

READ: Global arms sales rise driven by escalating conflicts