Germany vs South Africa
Germany vs South Africa: Arms exports
Arms exports in 2025: 1.7 billion TIV in Germany and 115 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Germany, by 1.58 billion TIV, or 15 times that in South Africa.
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Germany has been higher since 1967, when it overtook South Africa.
- The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | Germany | South Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.7 billion | 115 million | 33.5 billion |
| 2024 | 2.11 billion | 96 million | 30.7 billion |
| 2023 | 2.55 billion | 105 million | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | 1.51 billion | 113 million | 33.3 billion |
| 2021 | 852 million | 143 million | 27.1 billion |
| 2020 | 1.15 billion | 150 million | 24.1 billion |
| 2019 | 978 million | 129 million | 27 billion |
| 2018 | 1.1 billion | 118 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2017 | 1.83 billion | 100 million | 31.3 billion |
| 2016 | 2.51 billion | 118 million | 31.5 billion |
| 2015 | 1.82 billion | 76 million | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | 1.83 billion | 89 million | 27.1 billion |
| 2013 | 721 million | 109 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | 715 million | 193 million | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | 1.2 billion | 76 million | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | 2.36 billion | 250 million | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | 2.21 billion | 108 million | 24.4 billion |
| 2008 | 2.38 billion | 142 million | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | 3.29 billion | 137 million | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | 2.48 billion | 200 million | 24.5 billion |
| 2005 | 2.08 billion | 36 million | 21.4 billion |
| 2004 | 1.09 billion | 74 million | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | 1.63 billion | 47 million | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | 889 million | 22 million | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | 851 million | 32 million | 18.5 billion |
| 2000 | 1.67 billion | 21 million | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | 1.94 billion | 24 million | 25.4 billion |
| 1998 | 1.84 billion | 14 million | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | 951 million | 7 million | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | 1.95 billion | 31 million | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | 1.53 billion | 17 million | 22.9 billion |
| 1994 | 2.91 billion | 13 million | 23 billion |
| 1993 | 1.55 billion | 54 million | 25.8 billion |
| 1992 | 1.52 billion | 85 million | 24.3 billion |
| 1991 | 2.41 billion | 54 million | 28.2 billion |
| 1990 | 1.82 billion | – | 30.2 billion |
| 1989 | 1.26 billion | 0 | 34.9 billion |
| 1988 | 1.38 billion | 25 million | 36.8 billion |
| 1987 | 908 million | 28 million | 39.4 billion |
| 1986 | 1.35 billion | 25 million | 39 billion |
| 1985 | 1.33 billion | 25 million | 38.2 billion |
| 1984 | 2.93 billion | – | 41.6 billion |
| 1983 | 2.21 billion | – | 43.9 billion |
| 1982 | 1.51 billion | 1 million | 46.2 billion |
| 1981 | 1.9 billion | 49 million | 45.8 billion |
| 1980 | 1.6 billion | 49 million | 42.2 billion |
| 1979 | 1.43 billion | – | 38.4 billion |
| 1978 | 1.6 billion | – | 42.4 billion |
| 1977 | 1.93 billion | 0 | 40 billion |
| 1976 | 1.66 billion | 20 million | 36 billion |
| 1975 | 1.42 billion | 29 million | 37.2 billion |
| 1974 | 1.19 billion | 2 million | 36.6 billion |
| 1973 | 222 million | 1 million | 36.3 billion |
| 1972 | 1.36 billion | 22 million | 34.5 billion |
| 1971 | 1.36 billion | 7 million | 32.9 billion |
| 1970 | 1.58 billion | 2 million | 25.3 billion |
| 1969 | 882 million | 13 million | 28.1 billion |
| 1968 | 588 million | 9 million | 26.1 billion |
| 1967 | 758 million | 8 million | 25.6 billion |
| 1966 | 711 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1965 | 327 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1964 | 437 million | – | 26.7 billion |
| 1963 | 133 million | – | 20.3 billion |
| 1962 | 146 million | – | 17.5 billion |
| 1961 | 12 million | 33 million | 16.4 billion |
| 1960 | 156 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
Germany vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyGermany: 81.4 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityGermany: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityGermany: 3 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionGermany: 3.96% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateGermany: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationGermany: 84.6 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthGermany: 0.35% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateGermany: 1.44 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationGermany: 82.1% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageGermany: 45.2 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overGermany: 22.8% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateGermany: 7.2 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingGermany: 2.27% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsGermany: $107B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personGermany: $1,346 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingGermany: 4.5% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelGermany: 183,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerGermany: 1.5% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersGermany: 0.42% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsGermany: 1.63 billion TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025