China vs United Kingdom: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 880 million TIV in China and 702 million TIV in United Kingdom, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 178 million TIV, or 1.25 times that in United Kingdom.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaUnited KingdomWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 2021, when it overtook United Kingdom.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	China	United Kingdom	World
2025	880 million	702 million	33.5 billion
2024	1.29 billion	884 million	30.7 billion
2023	2.75 billion	1.32 billion	29.5 billion
2022	2.32 billion	1.74 billion	33.3 billion
2021	1.34 billion	639 million	27.1 billion
2020	645 million	652 million	24.1 billion
2019	1.6 billion	886 million	27 billion
2018	1.39 billion	682 million	27.4 billion
2017	1.64 billion	1.1 billion	31.3 billion
2016	2.48 billion	1.34 billion	31.5 billion
2015	1.84 billion	1.18 billion	28.7 billion
2014	1.35 billion	1.66 billion	27.1 billion
2013	2.1 billion	1.51 billion	27.4 billion
2012	1.5 billion	813 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.31 billion	1 billion	29.9 billion
2010	1.53 billion	1.15 billion	25.8 billion
2009	1.14 billion	1.07 billion	24.4 billion
2008	598 million	931 million	24.1 billion
2007	520 million	924 million	26.5 billion
2006	769 million	957 million	24.5 billion
2005	341 million	990 million	21.4 billion
2004	408 million	1.23 billion	21.3 billion
2003	701 million	769 million	19.2 billion
2002	524 million	1.08 billion	17.7 billion
2001	510 million	1.35 billion	18.5 billion
2000	309 million	1.62 billion	20.5 billion
1999	334 million	1.32 billion	25.4 billion
1998	349 million	1.4 billion	27.9 billion
1997	427 million	2.36 billion	28.9 billion
1996	764 million	1.62 billion	23.7 billion
1995	981 million	1.46 billion	22.9 billion
1994	1.06 billion	1.53 billion	23 billion
1993	1.44 billion	1.38 billion	25.8 billion
1992	672 million	1.09 billion	24.3 billion
1991	1.32 billion	1.53 billion	28.2 billion
1990	955 million	1.84 billion	30.2 billion
1989	1.06 billion	3.5 billion	34.9 billion
1988	1.43 billion	2.53 billion	36.8 billion
1987	2.6 billion	3.6 billion	39.4 billion
1986	1.86 billion	1.99 billion	39 billion
1985	1.29 billion	2.14 billion	38.2 billion
1984	1.94 billion	2.53 billion	41.6 billion
1983	1.76 billion	2.54 billion	43.9 billion
1982	1.56 billion	2.52 billion	46.2 billion
1981	707 million	2.36 billion	45.8 billion
1980	943 million	1.57 billion	42.2 billion
1979	553 million	1.54 billion	38.4 billion
1978	611 million	2.21 billion	42.4 billion
1977	224 million	2.2 billion	40 billion
1976	580 million	2.52 billion	36 billion
1975	661 million	2.23 billion	37.2 billion
1974	508 million	2.25 billion	36.6 billion
1973	658 million	2.79 billion	36.3 billion
1972	1.25 billion	2.68 billion	34.5 billion
1971	1.31 billion	2.35 billion	32.9 billion
1970	905 million	982 million	25.3 billion
1969	669 million	1.62 billion	28.1 billion
1968	746 million	1.68 billion	26.1 billion
1967	426 million	1.88 billion	25.6 billion
1966	628 million	1.42 billion	25.8 billion
1965	387 million	1.5 billion	25.8 billion
1964	75 million	1.41 billion	26.7 billion
1963	12 million	1.24 billion	20.3 billion
1962	47 million	1.07 billion	17.5 billion
1961	35 million	1.4 billion	16.4 billion
1960	285 million	2.19 billion	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 Kingdom: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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