China vs South Korea: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 222 million TIV in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 15 million TIV, or 1.07 times that in China.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 2024, when it overtook China.
In 2025, China ranked 36 and South Korea ranked 35 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	South Korea	World
2025	207 million	222 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	1.03 billion	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	218 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	423 million	33 billion
2021	685 million	812 million	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	1.27 billion	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	1.61 billion	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	1.03 billion	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	962 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	1.04 billion	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	268 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	742 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	189 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	1.08 billion	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	1.57 billion	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	1.3 billion	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	798 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	1.69 billion	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	1.73 billion	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	1.66 billion	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	801 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	1.06 billion	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	767 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	519 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	768 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	1.39 billion	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	1.64 billion	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	1.42 billion	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	1.22 billion	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	1.97 billion	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	1.95 billion	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	1.01 billion	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	1.01 billion	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	782 million	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	908 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	1.2 billion	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	1.84 billion	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	1.24 billion	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	773 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	857 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	760 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	524 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	496 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	673 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	872 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	877 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	1.32 billion	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	399 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	1.2 billion	37 billion
1976	1 million	556 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	661 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	458 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	269 million	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	413 million	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	250 million	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	100 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	586 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	359 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	137 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	578 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	632 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	332 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	214 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	65 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	113 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	122 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 Korea: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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