Global arms flows grew by 9.2 per cent during the past five years and the US was the world's biggest weapons supplier, a study has shown.
The US accounted for 42 per cent of all global arms transfers in the 2021-2025 period, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said on Monday.
Saudi Arabia, Opec's biggest oil producer, was the main recipient of US weapons, accounting for about 12 per cent.
France was the second-largest arms supplier, with a 9.8 per cent share, considerably less than the US. France was followed by Russia, Germany and China. Collectively, the top five suppliers accounted for about 70 per cent of the total arms transfer volume.
Israel was ranked seventh with a 4.4 per cent share, while Iran was 25th with 0.3 per cent, supplying its domestically produced weapon systems largely to Russia, Venezuela and the Houthi rebels.
The US, the largest global economy which has the world's biggest military and firepower, is currently embroiled alongside Israel in a war with Iran.
“For importers, US arms offer advanced capabilities and a way of fostering good relations with the US … as the Trump administration’s new America First Arms Transfer Strategy once again makes clear,” Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at Sipri, said in a statement.
The strategy, ordered by President Donald Trump in February, states that American-manufactured military equipment “is the best in the world” and being used as “both a tool of foreign policy and a tool to expand domestic production and transfer … to maintain [US] military dominance and technological superiority”.
The US has further cemented its dominance as an arms supplier, “even in an increasingly multipolar world”, Mr Wezeman added.
Ukraine was the world’s largest recipient of major arms during 2021-2025, accounting for 9.7 per cent of total global imports. That was a significant leap from 0.1 per cent in the previous five-year period amid the Russia-Ukraine war that has now entered its fifth year.
India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan rounded out the top five importers of arms. Kuwait was ninth, while the UAE came in at 11th with 2.7 per cent of the total share.
Middle East imports
The presence of Gulf nations among the top importers shows the continued build-up of their military capabilities amid escalating conflicts in the region.
The US was the largest supplier to countries in the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council, accounting for 77 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s arms imports, 48 per cent of Qatar’s, 62 per cent of Kuwait’s and 42 per cent of the UAE’s. France is also a major supplier to the Gulf countries.
However, overall imports by Middle East countries dropped by 13 per cent between 2021 and 2025, compared with the previous five-year period, the study showed.
UAE arms imports declined by 15 per cent between 2016–20 and 2021–25.
“With a number of regional tensions and conflicts, Gulf Arab states are working to strengthen relations with long-standing suppliers like the US and France, while also seeking new suppliers,” said Zain Hussain, a researcher at Sipri.
Revenue from the sale of arms and military services by the 100 largest arms-producing companies hit a record $69 billion in 2024, a 5.9 per cent annual increase, Sipri said in December.
In that year, nine of the top 100 companies were based in the Middle East, collectively generating $31 billion in revenue, Sipri said.
“Gulf Arab states shape arms import trends in the Middle East,” Mr Hussain said.
