Japan vs South Africa: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 1.72 billion TIV in Japan and 30 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Japan, by 1.69 billion TIV, or 57 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

JapanSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

Japan has been higher since 2008, when it overtook South Africa.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Japan	South Africa	World
2025	1.72 billion	30 million	33.3 billion
2024	1.04 billion	–	30.6 billion
2023	852 million	30 million	29.5 billion
2022	1.47 billion	30 million	33 billion
2021	1.01 billion	–	26.8 billion
2020	929 million	–	23.4 billion
2019	992 million	–	26.9 billion
2018	764 million	–	27.3 billion
2017	446 million	–	31.2 billion
2016	332 million	–	31.4 billion
2015	343 million	2 million	28.7 billion
2014	316 million	50 million	27 billion
2013	341 million	1 million	27.4 billion
2012	239 million	127 million	27.9 billion
2011	300 million	208 million	29.9 billion
2010	658 million	178 million	25.8 billion
2009	990 million	134 million	24 billion
2008	990 million	493 million	24.1 billion
2007	553 million	910 million	26.5 billion
2006	469 million	741 million	24.4 billion
2005	375 million	262 million	21.3 billion
2004	399 million	–	21.3 billion
2003	458 million	–	19.2 billion
2002	442 million	–	17.7 billion
2001	427 million	18 million	18.3 billion
2000	497 million	6 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.26 billion	21 million	25.3 billion
1998	1.49 billion	–	27.9 billion
1997	843 million	11 million	28.9 billion
1996	876 million	38 million	23.7 billion
1995	1.26 billion	38 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.02 billion	239 million	22.8 billion
1993	2.13 billion	238 million	25.8 billion
1992	2.52 billion	361 million	24.3 billion
1991	2.94 billion	26 million	27.8 billion
1990	2.68 billion	10 million	28.6 billion
1989	2.28 billion	11 million	31.7 billion
1988	2 billion	17 million	32.9 billion
1987	1.94 billion	20 million	36.2 billion
1986	1.89 billion	191 million	35.5 billion
1985	1.97 billion	25 million	33.2 billion
1984	2.05 billion	100 million	36.8 billion
1983	1.69 billion	192 million	39.1 billion
1982	1.44 billion	44 million	41.4 billion
1981	1.31 billion	122 million	42 billion
1980	1.03 billion	192 million	37.4 billion
1979	920 million	125 million	33.3 billion
1978	901 million	389 million	39.2 billion
1977	788 million	500 million	37 billion
1976	1.48 billion	419 million	33 billion
1975	1.6 billion	235 million	34.2 billion
1974	733 million	177 million	32.9 billion
1973	468 million	369 million	32.6 billion
1972	493 million	291 million	28.7 billion
1971	605 million	309 million	29.3 billion
1970	502 million	511 million	22.1 billion
1969	488 million	211 million	24.7 billion
1968	557 million	217 million	22.4 billion
1967	610 million	299 million	22.1 billion
1966	324 million	496 million	22.4 billion
1965	1.16 billion	386 million	23.1 billion
1964	1.72 billion	302 million	24.2 billion
1963	239 million	520 million	18.1 billion
1962	263 million	232 million	15.5 billion
1961	335 million	–	15 billion
1960	790 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

Japan vs South Africa: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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