Australia vs China: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 108 million TIV in Australia and 880 million TIV in China, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 772 million TIV, or 8.15 times that in Australia.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

AustraliaChinaWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1961.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Australia	China	World
2025	108 million	880 million	33.5 billion
2024	73 million	1.29 billion	30.7 billion
2023	81 million	2.75 billion	29.5 billion
2022	19 million	2.32 billion	33.3 billion
2021	175 million	1.34 billion	27.1 billion
2020	406 million	645 million	24.1 billion
2019	129 million	1.6 billion	27 billion
2018	39 million	1.39 billion	27.4 billion
2017	101 million	1.64 billion	31.3 billion
2016	136 million	2.48 billion	31.5 billion
2015	79 million	1.84 billion	28.7 billion
2014	94 million	1.35 billion	27.1 billion
2013	54 million	2.1 billion	27.4 billion
2012	45 million	1.5 billion	27.9 billion
2011	143 million	1.31 billion	29.9 billion
2010	137 million	1.53 billion	25.8 billion
2009	86 million	1.14 billion	24.4 billion
2008	57 million	598 million	24.1 billion
2007	53 million	520 million	26.5 billion
2006	26 million	769 million	24.5 billion
2005	49 million	341 million	21.4 billion
2004	2 million	408 million	21.3 billion
2003	44 million	701 million	19.2 billion
2002	47 million	524 million	17.7 billion
2001	43 million	510 million	18.5 billion
2000	–	309 million	20.5 billion
1999	–	334 million	25.4 billion
1998	4 million	349 million	27.9 billion
1997	14 million	427 million	28.9 billion
1996	10 million	764 million	23.7 billion
1995	36 million	981 million	22.9 billion
1994	24 million	1.06 billion	23 billion
1993	30 million	1.44 billion	25.8 billion
1992	–	672 million	24.3 billion
1991	84 million	1.32 billion	28.2 billion
1990	156 million	955 million	30.2 billion
1989	18 million	1.06 billion	34.9 billion
1988	12 million	1.43 billion	36.8 billion
1987	89 million	2.6 billion	39.4 billion
1986	57 million	1.86 billion	39 billion
1985	10 million	1.29 billion	38.2 billion
1984	62 million	1.94 billion	41.6 billion
1983	31 million	1.76 billion	43.9 billion
1982	26 million	1.56 billion	46.2 billion
1981	17 million	707 million	45.8 billion
1980	15 million	943 million	42.2 billion
1979	22 million	553 million	38.4 billion
1978	21 million	611 million	42.4 billion
1977	62 million	224 million	40 billion
1976	113 million	580 million	36 billion
1975	131 million	661 million	37.2 billion
1974	92 million	508 million	36.6 billion
1973	72 million	658 million	36.3 billion
1972	6 million	1.25 billion	34.5 billion
1971	36 million	1.31 billion	32.9 billion
1970	17 million	905 million	25.3 billion
1969	26 million	669 million	28.1 billion
1968	–	746 million	26.1 billion
1967	–	426 million	25.6 billion
1966	–	628 million	25.8 billion
1965	–	387 million	25.8 billion
1964	–	75 million	26.7 billion
1963	–	12 million	20.3 billion
1962	4 million	47 million	17.5 billion
1961	2 million	35 million	16.4 billion
1960	–	285 million	17.6 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

Major weapons the country sent abroad, 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.
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

Australia vs China: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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