Japan vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 1.72 billion TIV in Japan and 3.04 billion TIV in Saudi Arabia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 1.33 billion TIV, or 1.77 times that in Japan.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

JapanSaudi ArabiaWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2010, when it overtook Japan.
In 2025, Japan ranked 5 and Saudi Arabia ranked 1 of 110 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Japan	Saudi Arabia	World
2025	1.72 billion	3.04 billion	33.3 billion
2024	1.04 billion	1.24 billion	30.6 billion
2023	852 million	1.33 billion	29.5 billion
2022	1.47 billion	3.05 billion	33 billion
2021	1.01 billion	1.75 billion	26.8 billion
2020	929 million	2.24 billion	23.4 billion
2019	992 million	3.03 billion	26.9 billion
2018	764 million	2.94 billion	27.3 billion
2017	446 million	3.85 billion	31.2 billion
2016	332 million	2.91 billion	31.4 billion
2015	343 million	3.47 billion	28.7 billion
2014	316 million	2.72 billion	27 billion
2013	341 million	1.69 billion	27.4 billion
2012	239 million	835 million	27.9 billion
2011	300 million	1.18 billion	29.9 billion
2010	658 million	1.11 billion	25.8 billion
2009	990 million	828 million	24 billion
2008	990 million	389 million	24.1 billion
2007	553 million	229 million	26.5 billion
2006	469 million	207 million	24.4 billion
2005	375 million	166 million	21.3 billion
2004	399 million	1.16 billion	21.3 billion
2003	458 million	158 million	19.2 billion
2002	442 million	559 million	17.7 billion
2001	427 million	59 million	18.3 billion
2000	497 million	104 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.26 billion	1.58 billion	25.3 billion
1998	1.49 billion	2.89 billion	27.9 billion
1997	843 million	2.79 billion	28.9 billion
1996	876 million	1.73 billion	23.7 billion
1995	1.26 billion	985 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.02 billion	981 million	22.8 billion
1993	2.13 billion	2.35 billion	25.8 billion
1992	2.52 billion	1.15 billion	24.3 billion
1991	2.94 billion	1.04 billion	27.8 billion
1990	2.68 billion	2.04 billion	28.6 billion
1989	2.28 billion	1.38 billion	31.7 billion
1988	2 billion	784 million	32.9 billion
1987	1.94 billion	2.01 billion	36.2 billion
1986	1.89 billion	2.84 billion	35.5 billion
1985	1.97 billion	1.31 billion	33.2 billion
1984	2.05 billion	824 million	36.8 billion
1983	1.69 billion	1.82 billion	39.1 billion
1982	1.44 billion	2.22 billion	41.4 billion
1981	1.31 billion	1.82 billion	42 billion
1980	1.03 billion	1.09 billion	37.4 billion
1979	920 million	767 million	33.3 billion
1978	901 million	1.01 billion	39.2 billion
1977	788 million	1.02 billion	37 billion
1976	1.48 billion	702 million	33 billion
1975	1.6 billion	372 million	34.2 billion
1974	733 million	547 million	32.9 billion
1973	468 million	202 million	32.6 billion
1972	493 million	130 million	28.7 billion
1971	605 million	10 million	29.3 billion
1970	502 million	87 million	22.1 billion
1969	488 million	416 million	24.7 billion
1968	557 million	448 million	22.4 billion
1967	610 million	222 million	22.1 billion
1966	324 million	227 million	22.4 billion
1965	1.16 billion	48 million	23.1 billion
1964	1.72 billion	5 million	24.2 billion
1963	239 million	–	18.1 billion
1962	263 million	22 million	15.5 billion
1961	335 million	8 million	15 billion
1960	790 million	6 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

Japan vs Saudi Arabia: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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