Iran vs South Africa: Arms imports

Arms imports: 42 million TIV in Iran in 2024 and 30 million TIV in South Africa in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in South Africa, by 9 million TIV, or 1.43 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 2023, when it overtook Iran.
The world as a whole: 29.5 billion TIV in 2023.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Iran	South Africa	World
2025	–	30 million	33.3 billion
2024	42 million	–	30.6 billion
2023	21 million	30 million	29.5 billion
2022	–	30 million	33 billion
2021	–	–	26.8 billion
2020	2 million	–	23.4 billion
2019	3 million	–	26.9 billion
2018	3 million	–	27.3 billion
2017	3 million	–	31.2 billion
2016	413 million	–	31.4 billion
2015	11 million	2 million	28.7 billion
2014	14 million	50 million	27 billion
2013	14 million	1 million	27.4 billion
2012	39 million	127 million	27.9 billion
2011	89 million	208 million	29.9 billion
2010	87 million	178 million	25.8 billion
2009	92 million	134 million	24 billion
2008	57 million	493 million	24.1 billion
2007	325 million	910 million	26.5 billion
2006	418 million	741 million	24.4 billion
2005	53 million	262 million	21.3 billion
2004	117 million	–	21.3 billion
2003	283 million	–	19.2 billion
2002	435 million	–	17.7 billion
2001	526 million	18 million	18.3 billion
2000	417 million	6 million	20.5 billion
1999	321 million	21 million	25.3 billion
1998	374 million	–	27.9 billion
1997	172 million	11 million	28.9 billion
1996	608 million	38 million	23.7 billion
1995	289 million	38 million	22.9 billion
1994	451 million	239 million	22.8 billion
1993	960 million	238 million	25.8 billion
1992	406 million	361 million	24.3 billion
1991	990 million	26 million	27.8 billion
1990	444 million	10 million	28.6 billion
1989	194 million	11 million	31.7 billion
1988	469 million	17 million	32.9 billion
1987	807 million	20 million	36.2 billion
1986	805 million	191 million	35.5 billion
1985	639 million	25 million	33.2 billion
1984	562 million	100 million	36.8 billion
1983	466 million	192 million	39.1 billion
1982	499 million	44 million	41.4 billion
1981	487 million	122 million	42 billion
1980	278 million	192 million	37.4 billion
1979	526 million	125 million	33.3 billion
1978	3.72 billion	389 million	39.2 billion
1977	5.48 billion	500 million	37 billion
1976	4.65 billion	419 million	33 billion
1975	5.23 billion	235 million	34.2 billion
1974	2.86 billion	177 million	32.9 billion
1973	2.05 billion	369 million	32.6 billion
1972	1.38 billion	291 million	28.7 billion
1971	2.1 billion	309 million	29.3 billion
1970	899 million	511 million	22.1 billion
1969	950 million	211 million	24.7 billion
1968	917 million	217 million	22.4 billion
1967	553 million	299 million	22.1 billion
1966	601 million	496 million	22.4 billion
1965	496 million	386 million	23.1 billion
1964	139 million	302 million	24.2 billion
1963	105 million	520 million	18.1 billion
1962	83 million	232 million	15.5 billion
1961	75 million	–	15 billion
1960	141 million	13 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

Iran vs South Africa: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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