France vs South Africa
France vs South Africa: Arms exports
Arms exports in 2025: 3.37 billion TIV in France and 115 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in France, by 3.25 billion TIV, or 29 times that in South Africa.
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- France has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1960.
- The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | France | South Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.37 billion | 115 million | 33.5 billion |
| 2024 | 2.47 billion | 96 million | 30.7 billion |
| 2023 | 2.18 billion | 105 million | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | 3.16 billion | 113 million | 33.3 billion |
| 2021 | 3.9 billion | 143 million | 27.1 billion |
| 2020 | 2.29 billion | 150 million | 24.1 billion |
| 2019 | 3.75 billion | 129 million | 27 billion |
| 2018 | 1.87 billion | 118 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2017 | 2.34 billion | 100 million | 31.3 billion |
| 2016 | 2.19 billion | 118 million | 31.5 billion |
| 2015 | 2.23 billion | 76 million | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | 1.76 billion | 89 million | 27.1 billion |
| 2013 | 1.87 billion | 109 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | 1.34 billion | 193 million | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | 2.08 billion | 76 million | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | 888 million | 250 million | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | 1.85 billion | 108 million | 24.4 billion |
| 2008 | 1.87 billion | 142 million | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | 2.15 billion | 137 million | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | 1.48 billion | 200 million | 24.5 billion |
| 2005 | 1.65 billion | 36 million | 21.4 billion |
| 2004 | 2.12 billion | 74 million | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | 1.35 billion | 47 million | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | 1.38 billion | 22 million | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | 1.31 billion | 32 million | 18.5 billion |
| 2000 | 966 million | 21 million | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | 1.68 billion | 24 million | 25.4 billion |
| 1998 | 3.1 billion | 14 million | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | 3.18 billion | 7 million | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | 1.84 billion | 31 million | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | 969 million | 17 million | 22.9 billion |
| 1994 | 858 million | 13 million | 23 billion |
| 1993 | 971 million | 54 million | 25.8 billion |
| 1992 | 1.25 billion | 85 million | 24.3 billion |
| 1991 | 1.17 billion | 54 million | 28.2 billion |
| 1990 | 1.8 billion | – | 30.2 billion |
| 1989 | 2.27 billion | 0 | 34.9 billion |
| 1988 | 1.96 billion | 25 million | 36.8 billion |
| 1987 | 1.75 billion | 28 million | 39.4 billion |
| 1986 | 2.96 billion | 25 million | 39 billion |
| 1985 | 3.99 billion | 25 million | 38.2 billion |
| 1984 | 2.93 billion | – | 41.6 billion |
| 1983 | 3.41 billion | – | 43.9 billion |
| 1982 | 3.79 billion | 1 million | 46.2 billion |
| 1981 | 3.68 billion | 49 million | 45.8 billion |
| 1980 | 3.85 billion | 49 million | 42.2 billion |
| 1979 | 2.97 billion | – | 38.4 billion |
| 1978 | 3.32 billion | – | 42.4 billion |
| 1977 | 2.74 billion | 0 | 40 billion |
| 1976 | 2.04 billion | 20 million | 36 billion |
| 1975 | 2.32 billion | 29 million | 37.2 billion |
| 1974 | 2.18 billion | 2 million | 36.6 billion |
| 1973 | 2.97 billion | 1 million | 36.3 billion |
| 1972 | 2.69 billion | 22 million | 34.5 billion |
| 1971 | 2.36 billion | 7 million | 32.9 billion |
| 1970 | 1.74 billion | 2 million | 25.3 billion |
| 1969 | 1.52 billion | 13 million | 28.1 billion |
| 1968 | 1.5 billion | 9 million | 26.1 billion |
| 1967 | 1.6 billion | 8 million | 25.6 billion |
| 1966 | 1.9 billion | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1965 | 1.33 billion | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1964 | 1.57 billion | – | 26.7 billion |
| 1963 | 1.33 billion | – | 20.3 billion |
| 1962 | 912 million | – | 17.5 billion |
| 1961 | 856 million | 33 million | 16.4 billion |
| 1960 | 866 million | 27 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
France vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyFrance: 83.3 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityFrance: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityFrance: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionFrance: 4.25% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateFrance: 12.4 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationFrance: 66.4 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthFrance: 0.17% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateFrance: 1.64 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationFrance: 78.8% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageFrance: 41.8 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overFrance: 21.8% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateFrance: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingFrance: 2.03% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsFrance: $64.5B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personFrance: $1,021 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingFrance: 3.5% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelFrance: 304,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerFrance: 1.09% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersFrance: 1% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsFrance: 236 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025