China vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 2.84 billion TIV, or 15 times that in China.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaSaudi ArabiaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2013, when it overtook China.
In 2025, China ranked 36 and Saudi Arabia ranked 1 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	Saudi Arabia	World
2025	207 million	3.04 billion	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	1.24 billion	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	1.33 billion	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	3.05 billion	33 billion
2021	685 million	1.75 billion	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	2.24 billion	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	3.03 billion	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	2.94 billion	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	3.85 billion	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	2.91 billion	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	3.47 billion	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	2.72 billion	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	1.69 billion	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	835 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	1.18 billion	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	1.11 billion	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	828 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	389 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	229 million	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	207 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	166 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	1.16 billion	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	158 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	559 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	59 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	104 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	1.58 billion	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	2.89 billion	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	2.79 billion	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	1.73 billion	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	985 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	981 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	2.35 billion	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	1.15 billion	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	1.04 billion	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	2.04 billion	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	1.38 billion	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	784 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	2.01 billion	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	2.84 billion	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	1.31 billion	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	824 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	1.82 billion	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	2.22 billion	41.4 billion
1981	–	1.82 billion	42 billion
1980	4 million	1.09 billion	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	767 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	1.01 billion	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	1.02 billion	37 billion
1976	1 million	702 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	372 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	547 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	202 million	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	130 million	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	10 million	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	87 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	416 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	448 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	222 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	227 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	48 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	5 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	–	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	22 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	8 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	6 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 Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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