China vs South Africa: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 880 million TIV in China and 115 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 765 million TIV, or 7.65 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1960.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	South Africa	World
2025	880 million	115 million	33.5 billion
2024	1.29 billion	96 million	30.7 billion
2023	2.75 billion	105 million	29.5 billion
2022	2.32 billion	113 million	33.3 billion
2021	1.34 billion	143 million	27.1 billion
2020	645 million	150 million	24.1 billion
2019	1.6 billion	129 million	27 billion
2018	1.39 billion	118 million	27.4 billion
2017	1.64 billion	100 million	31.3 billion
2016	2.48 billion	118 million	31.5 billion
2015	1.84 billion	76 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.35 billion	89 million	27.1 billion
2013	2.1 billion	109 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.5 billion	193 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.31 billion	76 million	29.9 billion
2010	1.53 billion	250 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.14 billion	108 million	24.4 billion
2008	598 million	142 million	24.1 billion
2007	520 million	137 million	26.5 billion
2006	769 million	200 million	24.5 billion
2005	341 million	36 million	21.4 billion
2004	408 million	74 million	21.3 billion
2003	701 million	47 million	19.2 billion
2002	524 million	22 million	17.7 billion
2001	510 million	32 million	18.5 billion
2000	309 million	21 million	20.5 billion
1999	334 million	24 million	25.4 billion
1998	349 million	14 million	27.9 billion
1997	427 million	7 million	28.9 billion
1996	764 million	31 million	23.7 billion
1995	981 million	17 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.06 billion	13 million	23 billion
1993	1.44 billion	54 million	25.8 billion
1992	672 million	85 million	24.3 billion
1991	1.32 billion	54 million	28.2 billion
1990	955 million	–	30.2 billion
1989	1.06 billion	0	34.9 billion
1988	1.43 billion	25 million	36.8 billion
1987	2.6 billion	28 million	39.4 billion
1986	1.86 billion	25 million	39 billion
1985	1.29 billion	25 million	38.2 billion
1984	1.94 billion	–	41.6 billion
1983	1.76 billion	–	43.9 billion
1982	1.56 billion	1 million	46.2 billion
1981	707 million	49 million	45.8 billion
1980	943 million	49 million	42.2 billion
1979	553 million	–	38.4 billion
1978	611 million	–	42.4 billion
1977	224 million	0	40 billion
1976	580 million	20 million	36 billion
1975	661 million	29 million	37.2 billion
1974	508 million	2 million	36.6 billion
1973	658 million	1 million	36.3 billion
1972	1.25 billion	22 million	34.5 billion
1971	1.31 billion	7 million	32.9 billion
1970	905 million	2 million	25.3 billion
1969	669 million	13 million	28.1 billion
1968	746 million	9 million	26.1 billion
1967	426 million	8 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	33 million	16.4 billion
1960	285 million	27 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 South Africa: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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