Afghanistan vs China: Arms imports

Arms imports: 65 million TIV in Afghanistan in 2021 and 207 million TIV in China in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in China, by 620 million TIV, or 11 times that in Afghanistan.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

AfghanistanChinaWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 2002, when it overtook Afghanistan.
The world as a whole: 26.8 billion TIV in 2021.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Afghanistan	China	World
2025	–	207 million	33.3 billion
2024	–	71 million	30.6 billion
2023	–	428 million	29.5 billion
2022	–	646 million	33 billion
2021	65 million	685 million	26.8 billion
2020	231 million	775 million	23.4 billion
2019	379 million	1.57 billion	26.9 billion
2018	312 million	2.25 billion	27.3 billion
2017	235 million	1.55 billion	31.2 billion
2016	170 million	1.21 billion	31.4 billion
2015	131 million	1.19 billion	28.7 billion
2014	323 million	1.03 billion	27 billion
2013	253 million	1.22 billion	27.4 billion
2012	518 million	1.54 billion	27.9 billion
2011	632 million	1.03 billion	29.9 billion
2010	365 million	940 million	25.8 billion
2009	326 million	1.38 billion	24 billion
2008	148 million	1.78 billion	24.1 billion
2007	40 million	1.7 billion	26.5 billion
2006	3 million	2.83 billion	24.4 billion
2005	33 million	3.47 billion	21.3 billion
2004	–	3.24 billion	21.3 billion
2003	–	2.33 billion	19.2 billion
2002	34 million	2.83 billion	17.7 billion
2001	–	2.76 billion	18.3 billion
2000	–	2.47 billion	20.5 billion
1999	–	1.72 billion	25.3 billion
1998	–	375 million	27.9 billion
1997	–	940 million	28.9 billion
1996	–	1.5 billion	23.7 billion
1995	–	701 million	22.9 billion
1994	–	304 million	22.8 billion
1993	–	1.23 billion	25.8 billion
1992	–	1.18 billion	24.3 billion
1991	1.24 billion	439 million	27.8 billion
1990	1.61 billion	267 million	28.6 billion
1989	1.82 billion	163 million	31.7 billion
1988	927 million	97 million	32.9 billion
1987	489 million	47 million	36.2 billion
1986	210 million	11 million	35.5 billion
1985	158 million	104 million	33.2 billion
1984	394 million	62 million	36.8 billion
1983	269 million	16 million	39.1 billion
1982	455 million	5 million	41.4 billion
1981	553 million	–	42 billion
1980	632 million	4 million	37.4 billion
1979	449 million	8 million	33.3 billion
1978	156 million	83 million	39.2 billion
1977	75 million	72 million	37 billion
1976	230 million	1 million	33 billion
1975	137 million	1 million	34.2 billion
1974	47 million	1 million	32.9 billion
1973	–	1 million	32.6 billion
1972	–	1 million	28.7 billion
1971	25 million	1 million	29.3 billion
1970	120 million	1 million	22.1 billion
1969	166 million	–	24.7 billion
1968	145 million	180 million	22.4 billion
1967	230 million	144 million	22.1 billion
1966	198 million	225 million	22.4 billion
1965	91 million	257 million	23.1 billion
1964	56 million	485 million	24.2 billion
1963	40 million	450 million	18.1 billion
1962	64 million	415 million	15.5 billion
1961	55 million	952 million	15 billion
1960	39 million	2.36 billion	15.7 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

Major weapons the country received, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV): what the arms are worth as military capability, priced by their production cost, not what was paid.
Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, via the World Bank.
Ranks count the 110 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Afghanistan vs China: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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