Iran vs South Africa: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 80 million TIV in Iran and 115 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 35 million TIV, or 1.44 times that in Iran.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

IranSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Iran.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Iran	South Africa	World
2025	80 million	115 million	33.5 billion
2024	106 million	96 million	30.7 billion
2023	170 million	105 million	29.5 billion
2022	48 million	113 million	33.3 billion
2021	2 million	143 million	27.1 billion
2020	16 million	150 million	24.1 billion
2019	9 million	129 million	27 billion
2018	9 million	118 million	27.4 billion
2017	24 million	100 million	31.3 billion
2016	24 million	118 million	31.5 billion
2015	11 million	76 million	28.7 billion
2014	34 million	89 million	27.1 billion
2013	2 million	109 million	27.4 billion
2012	35 million	193 million	27.9 billion
2011	77 million	76 million	29.9 billion
2010	54 million	250 million	25.8 billion
2009	99 million	108 million	24.4 billion
2008	82 million	142 million	24.1 billion
2007	2 million	137 million	26.5 billion
2006	78 million	200 million	24.5 billion
2005	4 million	36 million	21.4 billion
2004	3 million	74 million	21.3 billion
2003	12 million	47 million	19.2 billion
2002	9 million	22 million	17.7 billion
2001	0	32 million	18.5 billion
2000	0	21 million	20.5 billion
1999	0	24 million	25.4 billion
1998	0	14 million	27.9 billion
1997	0	7 million	28.9 billion
1996	3 million	31 million	23.7 billion
1995	1 million	17 million	22.9 billion
1994	0	13 million	23 billion
1993	1 million	54 million	25.8 billion
1992	1 million	85 million	24.3 billion
1991	1 million	54 million	28.2 billion
1990	0	–	30.2 billion
1989	1 million	0	34.9 billion
1988	1 million	25 million	36.8 billion
1987	1 million	28 million	39.4 billion
1986	1 million	25 million	39 billion
1985	1 million	25 million	38.2 billion
1984	1 million	–	41.6 billion
1983	1 million	–	43.9 billion
1982	1 million	1 million	46.2 billion
1981	1 million	49 million	45.8 billion
1980	1 million	49 million	42.2 billion
1979	–	–	38.4 billion
1978	–	–	42.4 billion
1977	–	0	40 billion
1976	–	20 million	36 billion
1975	86 million	29 million	37.2 billion
1974	129 million	2 million	36.6 billion
1973	6 million	1 million	36.3 billion
1972	106 million	22 million	34.5 billion
1971	6 million	7 million	32.9 billion
1970	23 million	2 million	25.3 billion
1969	–	13 million	28.1 billion
1968	–	9 million	26.1 billion
1967	28 million	8 million	25.6 billion
1966	–	–	25.8 billion
1965	–	–	25.8 billion
1964	–	–	26.7 billion
1963	–	–	20.3 billion
1962	3 million	–	17.5 billion
1961	–	33 million	16.4 billion
1960	–	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

Iran vs South Africa: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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