China vs Iran: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 880 million TIV in China and 80 million TIV in Iran, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 800 million TIV, or 11 times that in Iran.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaIranWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1962.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	Iran	World
2025	880 million	80 million	33.5 billion
2024	1.29 billion	106 million	30.7 billion
2023	2.75 billion	170 million	29.5 billion
2022	2.32 billion	48 million	33.3 billion
2021	1.34 billion	2 million	27.1 billion
2020	645 million	16 million	24.1 billion
2019	1.6 billion	9 million	27 billion
2018	1.39 billion	9 million	27.4 billion
2017	1.64 billion	24 million	31.3 billion
2016	2.48 billion	24 million	31.5 billion
2015	1.84 billion	11 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.35 billion	34 million	27.1 billion
2013	2.1 billion	2 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.5 billion	35 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.31 billion	77 million	29.9 billion
2010	1.53 billion	54 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.14 billion	99 million	24.4 billion
2008	598 million	82 million	24.1 billion
2007	520 million	2 million	26.5 billion
2006	769 million	78 million	24.5 billion
2005	341 million	4 million	21.4 billion
2004	408 million	3 million	21.3 billion
2003	701 million	12 million	19.2 billion
2002	524 million	9 million	17.7 billion
2001	510 million	0	18.5 billion
2000	309 million	0	20.5 billion
1999	334 million	0	25.4 billion
1998	349 million	0	27.9 billion
1997	427 million	0	28.9 billion
1996	764 million	3 million	23.7 billion
1995	981 million	1 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.06 billion	0	23 billion
1993	1.44 billion	1 million	25.8 billion
1992	672 million	1 million	24.3 billion
1991	1.32 billion	1 million	28.2 billion
1990	955 million	0	30.2 billion
1989	1.06 billion	1 million	34.9 billion
1988	1.43 billion	1 million	36.8 billion
1987	2.6 billion	1 million	39.4 billion
1986	1.86 billion	1 million	39 billion
1985	1.29 billion	1 million	38.2 billion
1984	1.94 billion	1 million	41.6 billion
1983	1.76 billion	1 million	43.9 billion
1982	1.56 billion	1 million	46.2 billion
1981	707 million	1 million	45.8 billion
1980	943 million	1 million	42.2 billion
1979	553 million	–	38.4 billion
1978	611 million	–	42.4 billion
1977	224 million	–	40 billion
1976	580 million	–	36 billion
1975	661 million	86 million	37.2 billion
1974	508 million	129 million	36.6 billion
1973	658 million	6 million	36.3 billion
1972	1.25 billion	106 million	34.5 billion
1971	1.31 billion	6 million	32.9 billion
1970	905 million	23 million	25.3 billion
1969	669 million	–	28.1 billion
1968	746 million	–	26.1 billion
1967	426 million	28 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	47 million	3 million	17.5 billion
1961	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

China vs Iran: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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