China vs Mexico: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 9 million TIV in Mexico, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 198 million TIV, or 23 times that in Mexico.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaMexicoWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 1989, when it overtook Mexico.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	Mexico	World
2025	207 million	9 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	46 million	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	4 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	–	33 billion
2021	685 million	3 million	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	277 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	–	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	16 million	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	215 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	328 million	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	324 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	89 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	52 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	260 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	225 million	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	109 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	59 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	23 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	–	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	78 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	40 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	321 million	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	20 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	97 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	149 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	215 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	136 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	19 million	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	495 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	92 million	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	55 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	136 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	160 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	19 million	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	40 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	32 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	63 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	103 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	154 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	137 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	8 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	–	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	116 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	343 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	115 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	75 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	68 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	74 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	39 million	37 billion
1976	1 million	69 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	104 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	61 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	158 million	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	15 million	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	48 million	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	82 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	–	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	–	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	15 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	22 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	12 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	38 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	60 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	109 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	30 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	20 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 Mexico: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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