China vs United Arab Emirates: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 880 million TIV in China and 33 million TIV in United Arab Emirates, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 847 million TIV, or 27 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaUnited Arab EmiratesWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1974.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	United Arab Emirates	World
2025	880 million	33 million	33.5 billion
2024	1.29 billion	119 million	30.7 billion
2023	2.75 billion	64 million	29.5 billion
2022	2.32 billion	17 million	33.3 billion
2021	1.34 billion	57 million	27.1 billion
2020	645 million	209 million	24.1 billion
2019	1.6 billion	131 million	27 billion
2018	1.39 billion	120 million	27.4 billion
2017	1.64 billion	106 million	31.3 billion
2016	2.48 billion	111 million	31.5 billion
2015	1.84 billion	143 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.35 billion	100 million	27.1 billion
2013	2.1 billion	115 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.5 billion	75 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.31 billion	3 million	29.9 billion
2010	1.53 billion	39 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.14 billion	34 million	24.4 billion
2008	598 million	–	24.1 billion
2007	520 million	3 million	26.5 billion
2006	769 million	17 million	24.5 billion
2005	341 million	15 million	21.4 billion
2004	408 million	3 million	21.3 billion
2003	701 million	–	19.2 billion
2002	524 million	–	17.7 billion
2001	510 million	–	18.5 billion
2000	309 million	–	20.5 billion
1999	334 million	–	25.4 billion
1998	349 million	–	27.9 billion
1997	427 million	37 million	28.9 billion
1996	764 million	6 million	23.7 billion
1995	981 million	28 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.06 billion	–	23 billion
1993	1.44 billion	–	25.8 billion
1992	672 million	–	24.3 billion
1991	1.32 billion	–	28.2 billion
1990	955 million	2 million	30.2 billion
1989	1.06 billion	–	34.9 billion
1988	1.43 billion	–	36.8 billion
1987	2.6 billion	2 million	39.4 billion
1986	1.86 billion	22 million	39 billion
1985	1.29 billion	–	38.2 billion
1984	1.94 billion	–	41.6 billion
1983	1.76 billion	14 million	43.9 billion
1982	1.56 billion	–	46.2 billion
1981	707 million	–	45.8 billion
1980	943 million	–	42.2 billion
1979	553 million	–	38.4 billion
1978	611 million	–	42.4 billion
1977	224 million	–	40 billion
1976	580 million	–	36 billion
1975	661 million	–	37.2 billion
1974	508 million	8 million	36.6 billion
1973	658 million	–	36.3 billion
1972	1.25 billion	–	34.5 billion
1971	1.31 billion	–	32.9 billion
1970	905 million	–	25.3 billion
1969	669 million	–	28.1 billion
1968	746 million	–	26.1 billion
1967	426 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	–	16.4 billion
1960	285 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 United Arab Emirates

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsChina: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022