China vs France: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 236 million TIV in France, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in France, by 29 million TIV, or 1.14 times that in China.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaFranceWorld

What the numbers say

France has been higher since 2024, when it overtook China.
In 2025, China ranked 36 and France ranked 34 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	France	World
2025	207 million	236 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	183 million	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	114 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	130 million	33 billion
2021	685 million	105 million	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	225 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	104 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	201 million	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	84 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	38 million	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	36 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	17 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	104 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	86 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	41 million	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	103 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	72 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	2 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	75 million	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	68 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	2 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	93 million	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	55 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	38 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	61 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	98 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	105 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	171 million	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	223 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	64 million	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	99 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	84 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	102 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	439 million	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	963 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	77 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	107 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	134 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	84 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	100 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	20 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	73 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	108 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	142 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	106 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	70 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	107 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	231 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	194 million	37 billion
1976	1 million	186 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	45 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	46 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	51 million	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	33 million	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	57 million	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	44 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	64 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	123 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	98 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	106 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	378 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	1.3 billion	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	162 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	122 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	321 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	526 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 France: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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