China vs Nigeria
China vs Nigeria: Arms imports
Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 21 million TIV in Nigeria, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 186 million TIV, or 9.86 times that in Nigeria.
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- China has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Nigeria.
- The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | China | Nigeria | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 207 million | 21 million | 33.3 billion |
| 2024 | 71 million | 93 million | 30.6 billion |
| 2023 | 428 million | 93 million | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | 646 million | 53 million | 33 billion |
| 2021 | 685 million | 273 million | 26.8 billion |
| 2020 | 775 million | 84 million | 23.4 billion |
| 2019 | 1.57 billion | 18 million | 26.9 billion |
| 2018 | 2.25 billion | 49 million | 27.3 billion |
| 2017 | 1.55 billion | 42 million | 31.2 billion |
| 2016 | 1.21 billion | 61 million | 31.4 billion |
| 2015 | 1.19 billion | 188 million | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | 1.03 billion | 236 million | 27 billion |
| 2013 | 1.22 billion | 30 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | 1.54 billion | 28 million | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | 1.03 billion | 63 million | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | 940 million | 223 million | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | 1.38 billion | 65 million | 24 billion |
| 2008 | 1.78 billion | 33 million | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | 1.7 billion | 62 million | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | 2.83 billion | 16 million | 24.4 billion |
| 2005 | 3.47 billion | – | 21.3 billion |
| 2004 | 3.24 billion | 11 million | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | 2.33 billion | 66 million | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | 2.83 billion | 6 million | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | 2.76 billion | 9 million | 18.3 billion |
| 2000 | 2.47 billion | 36 million | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | 1.72 billion | – | 25.3 billion |
| 1998 | 375 million | – | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | 940 million | 1 million | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | 1.5 billion | 15 million | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | 701 million | 2 million | 22.9 billion |
| 1994 | 304 million | 95 million | 22.8 billion |
| 1993 | 1.23 billion | 41 million | 25.8 billion |
| 1992 | 1.18 billion | 59 million | 24.3 billion |
| 1991 | 439 million | 4 million | 27.8 billion |
| 1990 | 267 million | 18 million | 28.6 billion |
| 1989 | 163 million | 15 million | 31.7 billion |
| 1988 | 97 million | 62 million | 32.9 billion |
| 1987 | 47 million | 115 million | 36.2 billion |
| 1986 | 11 million | 211 million | 35.5 billion |
| 1985 | 104 million | 569 million | 33.2 billion |
| 1984 | 62 million | 359 million | 36.8 billion |
| 1983 | 16 million | 41 million | 39.1 billion |
| 1982 | 5 million | 642 million | 41.4 billion |
| 1981 | – | 331 million | 42 billion |
| 1980 | 4 million | 474 million | 37.4 billion |
| 1979 | 8 million | 108 million | 33.3 billion |
| 1978 | 83 million | 142 million | 39.2 billion |
| 1977 | 72 million | 90 million | 37 billion |
| 1976 | 1 million | 104 million | 33 billion |
| 1975 | 1 million | 424 million | 34.2 billion |
| 1974 | 1 million | 24 million | 32.9 billion |
| 1973 | 1 million | 7 million | 32.6 billion |
| 1972 | 1 million | 113 million | 28.7 billion |
| 1971 | 1 million | 12 million | 29.3 billion |
| 1970 | 1 million | 14 million | 22.1 billion |
| 1969 | – | 39 million | 24.7 billion |
| 1968 | 180 million | 50 million | 22.4 billion |
| 1967 | 144 million | 47 million | 22.1 billion |
| 1966 | 225 million | 159 million | 22.4 billion |
| 1965 | 257 million | 56 million | 23.1 billion |
| 1964 | 485 million | 2 million | 24.2 billion |
| 1963 | 450 million | 9 million | 18.1 billion |
| 1962 | 415 million | 8 million | 15.5 billion |
| 1961 | 952 million | 1 million | 15 billion |
| 1960 | 2.36 billion | – | 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 Nigeria
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Nigeria: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Nigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022