Iran vs South Korea: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 80 million TIV in Iran and 2.02 billion TIV in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 1.94 billion TIV, or 25 times that in Iran.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

IranSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1972.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Iran	South Korea	World
2025	80 million	2.02 billion	33.5 billion
2024	106 million	1.1 billion	30.7 billion
2023	170 million	675 million	29.5 billion
2022	48 million	231 million	33.3 billion
2021	2 million	536 million	27.1 billion
2020	16 million	829 million	24.1 billion
2019	9 million	675 million	27 billion
2018	9 million	1.05 billion	27.4 billion
2017	24 million	700 million	31.3 billion
2016	24 million	435 million	31.5 billion
2015	11 million	92 million	28.7 billion
2014	34 million	218 million	27.1 billion
2013	2 million	350 million	27.4 billion
2012	35 million	203 million	27.9 billion
2011	77 million	328 million	29.9 billion
2010	54 million	177 million	25.8 billion
2009	99 million	224 million	24.4 billion
2008	82 million	110 million	24.1 billion
2007	2 million	278 million	26.5 billion
2006	78 million	158 million	24.5 billion
2005	4 million	109 million	21.4 billion
2004	3 million	74 million	21.3 billion
2003	12 million	96 million	19.2 billion
2002	9 million	–	17.7 billion
2001	0	230 million	18.5 billion
2000	0	36 million	20.5 billion
1999	0	–	25.4 billion
1998	0	32 million	27.9 billion
1997	0	25 million	28.9 billion
1996	3 million	24 million	23.7 billion
1995	1 million	30 million	22.9 billion
1994	0	7 million	23 billion
1993	1 million	62 million	25.8 billion
1992	1 million	–	24.3 billion
1991	1 million	118 million	28.2 billion
1990	0	72 million	30.2 billion
1989	1 million	48 million	34.9 billion
1988	1 million	54 million	36.8 billion
1987	1 million	–	39.4 billion
1986	1 million	73 million	39 billion
1985	1 million	28 million	38.2 billion
1984	1 million	126 million	41.6 billion
1983	1 million	–	43.9 billion
1982	1 million	65 million	46.2 billion
1981	1 million	130 million	45.8 billion
1980	1 million	105 million	42.2 billion
1979	–	105 million	38.4 billion
1978	–	–	42.4 billion
1977	–	–	40 billion
1976	–	–	36 billion
1975	86 million	–	37.2 billion
1974	129 million	–	36.6 billion
1973	6 million	–	36.3 billion
1972	106 million	141 million	34.5 billion
1971	6 million	–	32.9 billion
1970	23 million	–	25.3 billion
1969	–	–	28.1 billion
1968	–	–	26.1 billion
1967	28 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	–	–	16.4 billion
1960	–	–	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 Korea: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Iran vs South Korea

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Military

Climate

Technology and environment