China vs South Africa: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 30 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 177 million TIV, or 6.9 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 since 1987, when it overtook South Africa.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	South Africa	World
2025	207 million	30 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	–	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	30 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	30 million	33 billion
2021	685 million	–	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	–	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	–	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	–	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	–	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	–	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	2 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	50 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	1 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	127 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	208 million	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	178 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	134 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	493 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	910 million	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	741 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	262 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	–	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	–	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	–	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	18 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	6 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	21 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	–	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	11 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	38 million	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	38 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	239 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	238 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	361 million	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	26 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	10 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	11 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	17 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	20 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	191 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	25 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	100 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	192 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	44 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	122 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	192 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	125 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	389 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	500 million	37 billion
1976	1 million	419 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	235 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	177 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	369 million	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	291 million	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	309 million	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	511 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	211 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	217 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	299 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	496 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	386 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	302 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	520 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	232 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	–	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	13 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 South Africa: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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