China vs Italy: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 566 million TIV in Italy, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Italy, by 359 million TIV, or 2.73 times that in China.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaItalyWorld

What the numbers say

Italy has been higher since 2024, when it overtook China.
In 2025, China ranked 36 and Italy ranked 18 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	Italy	World
2025	207 million	566 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	494 million	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	425 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	237 million	33 billion
2021	685 million	211 million	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	201 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	178 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	275 million	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	709 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	734 million	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	237 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	127 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	71 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	189 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	286 million	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	98 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	94 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	159 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	467 million	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	384 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	136 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	490 million	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	617 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	240 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	234 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	278 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	25 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	56 million	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	474 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	265 million	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	322 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	180 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	205 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	192 million	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	210 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	155 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	196 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	179 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	183 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	198 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	205 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	273 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	303 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	241 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	129 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	468 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	591 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	682 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	517 million	37 billion
1976	1 million	711 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	1.02 billion	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	1.12 billion	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	1.02 billion	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	1.77 billion	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	1.1 billion	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	685 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	611 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	196 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	107 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	412 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	736 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	1.14 billion	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	1.22 billion	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	886 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	427 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	409 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 Italy: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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