China vs Thailand: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 33 million TIV in Thailand, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 174 million TIV, or 6.27 times that in Thailand.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaThailandWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Thailand.
In 2025, China ranked 36 and Thailand ranked 60 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	Thailand	World
2025	207 million	33 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	73 million	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	290 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	271 million	33 billion
2021	685 million	151 million	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	141 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	293 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	636 million	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	317 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	346 million	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	184 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	107 million	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	383 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	278 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	252 million	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	60 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	63 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	16 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	8 million	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	99 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	115 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	138 million	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	131 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	152 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	109 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	77 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	160 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	62 million	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	910 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	741 million	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	530 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	608 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	182 million	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	429 million	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	575 million	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	235 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	284 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	623 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	539 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	162 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	185 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	360 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	247 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	81 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	350 million	42 billion
1980	4 million	318 million	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	326 million	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	192 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	111 million	37 billion
1976	1 million	154 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	90 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	114 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	321 million	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	147 million	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	243 million	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	258 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	121 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	88 million	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	140 million	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	58 million	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	87 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	84 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	111 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	113 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	52 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	28 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 Thailand: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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