Iran vs South Korea: Arms imports

Arms imports: 42 million TIV in Iran in 2024 and 222 million TIV in South Korea in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Korea, by 989 million 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 since 1992, when it overtook Iran.
The world as a whole: 30.6 billion TIV in 2024.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Iran	South Korea	World
2025	–	222 million	33.3 billion
2024	42 million	1.03 billion	30.6 billion
2023	21 million	218 million	29.5 billion
2022	–	423 million	33 billion
2021	–	812 million	26.8 billion
2020	2 million	1.27 billion	23.4 billion
2019	3 million	1.61 billion	26.9 billion
2018	3 million	1.03 billion	27.3 billion
2017	3 million	962 million	31.2 billion
2016	413 million	1.04 billion	31.4 billion
2015	11 million	268 million	28.7 billion
2014	14 million	742 million	27 billion
2013	14 million	189 million	27.4 billion
2012	39 million	1.08 billion	27.9 billion
2011	89 million	1.57 billion	29.9 billion
2010	87 million	1.3 billion	25.8 billion
2009	92 million	798 million	24 billion
2008	57 million	1.69 billion	24.1 billion
2007	325 million	1.73 billion	26.5 billion
2006	418 million	1.66 billion	24.4 billion
2005	53 million	801 million	21.3 billion
2004	117 million	1.06 billion	21.3 billion
2003	283 million	767 million	19.2 billion
2002	435 million	519 million	17.7 billion
2001	526 million	768 million	18.3 billion
2000	417 million	1.39 billion	20.5 billion
1999	321 million	1.64 billion	25.3 billion
1998	374 million	1.42 billion	27.9 billion
1997	172 million	1.22 billion	28.9 billion
1996	608 million	1.97 billion	23.7 billion
1995	289 million	1.95 billion	22.9 billion
1994	451 million	1.01 billion	22.8 billion
1993	960 million	1.01 billion	25.8 billion
1992	406 million	782 million	24.3 billion
1991	990 million	908 million	27.8 billion
1990	444 million	1.2 billion	28.6 billion
1989	194 million	1.84 billion	31.7 billion
1988	469 million	1.24 billion	32.9 billion
1987	807 million	773 million	36.2 billion
1986	805 million	857 million	35.5 billion
1985	639 million	760 million	33.2 billion
1984	562 million	524 million	36.8 billion
1983	466 million	496 million	39.1 billion
1982	499 million	673 million	41.4 billion
1981	487 million	872 million	42 billion
1980	278 million	877 million	37.4 billion
1979	526 million	1.32 billion	33.3 billion
1978	3.72 billion	399 million	39.2 billion
1977	5.48 billion	1.2 billion	37 billion
1976	4.65 billion	556 million	33 billion
1975	5.23 billion	661 million	34.2 billion
1974	2.86 billion	458 million	32.9 billion
1973	2.05 billion	269 million	32.6 billion
1972	1.38 billion	413 million	28.7 billion
1971	2.1 billion	250 million	29.3 billion
1970	899 million	100 million	22.1 billion
1969	950 million	586 million	24.7 billion
1968	917 million	359 million	22.4 billion
1967	553 million	137 million	22.1 billion
1966	601 million	578 million	22.4 billion
1965	496 million	632 million	23.1 billion
1964	139 million	332 million	24.2 billion
1963	105 million	214 million	18.1 billion
1962	83 million	65 million	15.5 billion
1961	75 million	113 million	15 billion
1960	141 million	122 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 Korea: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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