China vs Iran: Arms imports

Arms imports: 207 million TIV in China in 2025 and 42 million TIV in Iran in 2024, by SIPRI estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in China, by 29 million TIV, or 1.69 times that in Iran.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaIranWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 1995, when it overtook Iran.
The world as a whole: 30.6 billion TIV in 2024.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	Iran	World
2025	207 million	–	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	42 million	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	21 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	–	33 billion
2021	685 million	–	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	2 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	3 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	3 million	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	3 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	413 million	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	11 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	14 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	14 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	39 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	89 million	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	87 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	92 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	57 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	325 million	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	418 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	53 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	117 million	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	283 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	435 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	526 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	417 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	321 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	374 million	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	172 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	608 million	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	289 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	451 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	960 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	406 million	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	990 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	444 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	194 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	469 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	807 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	805 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	639 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	562 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	466 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	499 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	487 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	278 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	526 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	3.72 billion	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	5.48 billion	37 billion
1976	1 million	4.65 billion	33 billion
1975	1 million	5.23 billion	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	2.86 billion	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	2.05 billion	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	1.38 billion	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	2.1 billion	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	899 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	950 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	917 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	553 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	601 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	496 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	139 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	105 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	83 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	75 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	141 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 Iran: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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