China vs Vietnam: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 207 million TIV in China and 177 million TIV in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 30 million TIV, or 1.17 times that in Vietnam.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

ChinaVietnamWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 2015, when it overtook Vietnam.
In 2025, China ranked 36 and Vietnam ranked 38 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	Vietnam	World
2025	207 million	177 million	33.3 billion
2024	71 million	58 million	30.6 billion
2023	428 million	45 million	29.5 billion
2022	646 million	86 million	33 billion
2021	685 million	235 million	26.8 billion
2020	775 million	38 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.57 billion	166 million	26.9 billion
2018	2.25 billion	604 million	27.3 billion
2017	1.55 billion	783 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.21 billion	924 million	31.4 billion
2015	1.19 billion	869 million	28.7 billion
2014	1.03 billion	1.23 billion	27 billion
2013	1.22 billion	360 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.54 billion	782 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.03 billion	1.02 billion	29.9 billion
2010	940 million	161 million	25.8 billion
2009	1.38 billion	61 million	24 billion
2008	1.78 billion	186 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.7 billion	8 million	26.5 billion
2006	2.83 billion	42 million	24.4 billion
2005	3.47 billion	221 million	21.3 billion
2004	3.24 billion	299 million	21.3 billion
2003	2.33 billion	22 million	19.2 billion
2002	2.83 billion	58 million	17.7 billion
2001	2.76 billion	97 million	18.3 billion
2000	2.47 billion	11 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.72 billion	168 million	25.3 billion
1998	375 million	209 million	27.9 billion
1997	940 million	111 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.5 billion	214 million	23.7 billion
1995	701 million	273 million	22.9 billion
1994	304 million	–	22.8 billion
1993	1.23 billion	–	25.8 billion
1992	1.18 billion	–	24.3 billion
1991	439 million	–	27.8 billion
1990	267 million	116 million	28.6 billion
1989	163 million	128 million	31.7 billion
1988	97 million	65 million	32.9 billion
1987	47 million	50 million	36.2 billion
1986	11 million	78 million	35.5 billion
1985	104 million	28 million	33.2 billion
1984	62 million	557 million	36.8 billion
1983	16 million	916 million	39.1 billion
1982	5 million	532 million	41.4 billion
1981	–	1.07 billion	42 billion
1980	4 million	1.02 billion	37.4 billion
1979	8 million	1.25 billion	33.3 billion
1978	83 million	227 million	39.2 billion
1977	72 million	42 million	37 billion
1976	1 million	42 million	33 billion
1975	1 million	493 million	34.2 billion
1974	1 million	859 million	32.9 billion
1973	1 million	1.28 billion	32.6 billion
1972	1 million	1.32 billion	28.7 billion
1971	1 million	1.2 billion	29.3 billion
1970	1 million	1.21 billion	22.1 billion
1969	–	909 million	24.7 billion
1968	180 million	1.18 billion	22.4 billion
1967	144 million	1.1 billion	22.1 billion
1966	225 million	1.14 billion	22.4 billion
1965	257 million	651 million	23.1 billion
1964	485 million	266 million	24.2 billion
1963	450 million	107 million	18.1 billion
1962	415 million	47 million	15.5 billion
1961	952 million	95 million	15 billion
1960	2.36 billion	103 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 Vietnam: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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