In 2019-2023, Ukraine was the largest arms importer in Europe. After four years, Ukraine ranks fourth in terms of arms imports in the world.
Points of attention
- Ukraine ranks fourth in the world regarding arms imports, buying about 5% of the total volume of the world market.
- The US and France have increased arms exports, while Russian supplies have fallen by 53% over the past five years.
- According to SIPRI, total global military spending will reach $2,443 billion in 2023, the most significant increase since 2009.
- The top three countries with the most significant military expenditures were the United States, China, and Russia, with significant increases in spending in Europe and Asia.
- During 2019-2023, Russia exported weapons to only 12 countries, compared to 31 countries in 2019, showing a loss of market position.
Ukraine buys about 5% of weapons in the world
Ukraine's share of the global volume of imported weapons is 4.9%. India ranks first with 9.8%. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with 8.4% and 7.6%, respectively, are in second and third place.
This is stated in the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report.
At the same time, Russia's share in the global volume of imported weapons in 2019-2023 was only 0.2%.
SIPRI previously noted that European countries almost doubled their imports of major weapons (+94%) in 2019-2023 compared to 2014-2018.
US and French arms exports increased. At the same time, Russian arms exports fell by 53% between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023.
The decline has been rapid over the past five years, and while Russia exported the bulk of its arms to 31 countries in 2019, it will only export to 12 in 2023.
How much the world spends on weapons
According to the results of 2023, the total world military expenditures reached 2,443 billion dollars, having increased by 6.8% in real terms. This was the largest annual increase since 2009.
For the first time since 2009, military spending increased in all five geographic regions identified by SIPRI, with particularly strong increases recorded in Europe, Asia and Oceania, and the Middle East.
The United States of America, China, and Russia topped the list of countries with the largest military expenditures. At the same time, the top ten countries all increased their spending last year.
