China vs Ethiopia: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 63 million TIV in Ethiopia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 144 million TIV, or 3.29 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaEthiopiaWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 1989, when it overtook Ethiopia.
In 2025, China ranked 36 and Ethiopia ranked 53 of 110 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	Ethiopia	World
2025	207 million	63 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	48 million	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	2 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	45 million	33 billion
2021	685 million	16 million	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	25 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	76 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	14 million	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	51 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	55 million	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	10 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	33 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	154 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	193 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	76 million	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	58 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	–	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	–	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	–	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	–	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	–	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	239 million	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	174 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	20 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	–	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	114 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	152 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	208 million	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	69 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	439 million	80 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	2 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	47 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	155 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	239 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	348 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	268 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	228 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	403 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	516 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	328 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	330 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	113 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	965 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	1.13 billion	37 billion
1976	1 million	113 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	58 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	36 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	5 million	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	53 million	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	54 million	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	90 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	24 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	34 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	31 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	99 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	14 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	4 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	27 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	21 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	4 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	24 million	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

China vs Ethiopia: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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