Japan vs South Korea: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 1.72 billion TIV in Japan and 222 million TIV in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Japan, by 1.49 billion TIV, or 7.73 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

JapanSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

Japan has been higher since 2021, when it overtook South Korea.
In 2025, Japan ranked 5 and South Korea ranked 35 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	South Korea	World
2025	1.72 billion	222 million	33.3 billion
2024	1.04 billion	1.03 billion	30.6 billion
2023	852 million	218 million	29.5 billion
2022	1.47 billion	423 million	33 billion
2021	1.01 billion	812 million	26.8 billion
2020	929 million	1.27 billion	23.4 billion
2019	992 million	1.61 billion	26.9 billion
2018	764 million	1.03 billion	27.3 billion
2017	446 million	962 million	31.2 billion
2016	332 million	1.04 billion	31.4 billion
2015	343 million	268 million	28.7 billion
2014	316 million	742 million	27 billion
2013	341 million	189 million	27.4 billion
2012	239 million	1.08 billion	27.9 billion
2011	300 million	1.57 billion	29.9 billion
2010	658 million	1.3 billion	25.8 billion
2009	990 million	798 million	24 billion
2008	990 million	1.69 billion	24.1 billion
2007	553 million	1.73 billion	26.5 billion
2006	469 million	1.66 billion	24.4 billion
2005	375 million	801 million	21.3 billion
2004	399 million	1.06 billion	21.3 billion
2003	458 million	767 million	19.2 billion
2002	442 million	519 million	17.7 billion
2001	427 million	768 million	18.3 billion
2000	497 million	1.39 billion	20.5 billion
1999	1.26 billion	1.64 billion	25.3 billion
1998	1.49 billion	1.42 billion	27.9 billion
1997	843 million	1.22 billion	28.9 billion
1996	876 million	1.97 billion	23.7 billion
1995	1.26 billion	1.95 billion	22.9 billion
1994	1.02 billion	1.01 billion	22.8 billion
1993	2.13 billion	1.01 billion	25.8 billion
1992	2.52 billion	782 million	24.3 billion
1991	2.94 billion	908 million	27.8 billion
1990	2.68 billion	1.2 billion	28.6 billion
1989	2.28 billion	1.84 billion	31.7 billion
1988	2 billion	1.24 billion	32.9 billion
1987	1.94 billion	773 million	36.2 billion
1986	1.89 billion	857 million	35.5 billion
1985	1.97 billion	760 million	33.2 billion
1984	2.05 billion	524 million	36.8 billion
1983	1.69 billion	496 million	39.1 billion
1982	1.44 billion	673 million	41.4 billion
1981	1.31 billion	872 million	42 billion
1980	1.03 billion	877 million	37.4 billion
1979	920 million	1.32 billion	33.3 billion
1978	901 million	399 million	39.2 billion
1977	788 million	1.2 billion	37 billion
1976	1.48 billion	556 million	33 billion
1975	1.6 billion	661 million	34.2 billion
1974	733 million	458 million	32.9 billion
1973	468 million	269 million	32.6 billion
1972	493 million	413 million	28.7 billion
1971	605 million	250 million	29.3 billion
1970	502 million	100 million	22.1 billion
1969	488 million	586 million	24.7 billion
1968	557 million	359 million	22.4 billion
1967	610 million	137 million	22.1 billion
1966	324 million	578 million	22.4 billion
1965	1.16 billion	632 million	23.1 billion
1964	1.72 billion	332 million	24.2 billion
1963	239 million	214 million	18.1 billion
1962	263 million	65 million	15.5 billion
1961	335 million	113 million	15 billion
1960	790 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

Japan vs South Korea: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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