China vs North Korea: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 880 million TIV in China and 44 million TIV in North Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 836 million TIV, or 20 times that in North Korea.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaNorth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1974.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	North Korea	World
2025	880 million	44 million	33.5 billion
2024	1.29 billion	211 million	30.7 billion
2023	2.75 billion	9 million	29.5 billion
2022	2.32 billion	–	33.3 billion
2021	1.34 billion	–	27.1 billion
2020	645 million	–	24.1 billion
2019	1.6 billion	–	27 billion
2018	1.39 billion	–	27.4 billion
2017	1.64 billion	–	31.3 billion
2016	2.48 billion	–	31.5 billion
2015	1.84 billion	–	28.7 billion
2014	1.35 billion	1 million	27.1 billion
2013	2.1 billion	–	27.4 billion
2012	1.5 billion	–	27.9 billion
2011	1.31 billion	–	29.9 billion
2010	1.53 billion	7 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.14 billion	23 million	24.4 billion
2008	598 million	15 million	24.1 billion
2007	520 million	15 million	26.5 billion
2006	769 million	15 million	24.5 billion
2005	341 million	15 million	21.4 billion
2004	408 million	42 million	21.3 billion
2003	701 million	129 million	19.2 billion
2002	524 million	150 million	17.7 billion
2001	510 million	53 million	18.5 billion
2000	309 million	40 million	20.5 billion
1999	334 million	42 million	25.4 billion
1998	349 million	59 million	27.9 billion
1997	427 million	35 million	28.9 billion
1996	764 million	35 million	23.7 billion
1995	981 million	33 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.06 billion	21 million	23 billion
1993	1.44 billion	104 million	25.8 billion
1992	672 million	98 million	24.3 billion
1991	1.32 billion	85 million	28.2 billion
1990	955 million	6 million	30.2 billion
1989	1.06 billion	65 million	34.9 billion
1988	1.43 billion	179 million	36.8 billion
1987	2.6 billion	189 million	39.4 billion
1986	1.86 billion	53 million	39 billion
1985	1.29 billion	154 million	38.2 billion
1984	1.94 billion	185 million	41.6 billion
1983	1.76 billion	231 million	43.9 billion
1982	1.56 billion	129 million	46.2 billion
1981	707 million	27 million	45.8 billion
1980	943 million	43 million	42.2 billion
1979	553 million	20 million	38.4 billion
1978	611 million	–	42.4 billion
1977	224 million	–	40 billion
1976	580 million	–	36 billion
1975	661 million	12 million	37.2 billion
1974	508 million	8 million	36.6 billion
1973	658 million	–	36.3 billion
1972	1.25 billion	–	34.5 billion
1971	1.31 billion	–	32.9 billion
1970	905 million	–	25.3 billion
1969	669 million	–	28.1 billion
1968	746 million	–	26.1 billion
1967	426 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	–	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 North Korea: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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