Mexico vs South Africa: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 9 million TIV in Mexico and 30 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 21 million TIV, or 3.33 times that in Mexico.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

MexicoSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Mexico.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Mexico	South Africa	World
2025	9 million	30 million	33.3 billion
2024	46 million	–	30.6 billion
2023	4 million	30 million	29.5 billion
2022	–	30 million	33 billion
2021	3 million	–	26.8 billion
2020	277 million	–	23.4 billion
2019	–	–	26.9 billion
2018	16 million	–	27.3 billion
2017	215 million	–	31.2 billion
2016	328 million	–	31.4 billion
2015	324 million	2 million	28.7 billion
2014	89 million	50 million	27 billion
2013	52 million	1 million	27.4 billion
2012	260 million	127 million	27.9 billion
2011	225 million	208 million	29.9 billion
2010	109 million	178 million	25.8 billion
2009	59 million	134 million	24 billion
2008	23 million	493 million	24.1 billion
2007	–	910 million	26.5 billion
2006	78 million	741 million	24.4 billion
2005	40 million	262 million	21.3 billion
2004	321 million	–	21.3 billion
2003	20 million	–	19.2 billion
2002	97 million	–	17.7 billion
2001	149 million	18 million	18.3 billion
2000	215 million	6 million	20.5 billion
1999	136 million	21 million	25.3 billion
1998	19 million	–	27.9 billion
1997	495 million	11 million	28.9 billion
1996	92 million	38 million	23.7 billion
1995	55 million	38 million	22.9 billion
1994	136 million	239 million	22.8 billion
1993	160 million	238 million	25.8 billion
1992	19 million	361 million	24.3 billion
1991	40 million	26 million	27.8 billion
1990	32 million	10 million	28.6 billion
1989	63 million	11 million	31.7 billion
1988	103 million	17 million	32.9 billion
1987	154 million	20 million	36.2 billion
1986	137 million	191 million	35.5 billion
1985	8 million	25 million	33.2 billion
1984	–	100 million	36.8 billion
1983	116 million	192 million	39.1 billion
1982	343 million	44 million	41.4 billion
1981	115 million	122 million	42 billion
1980	75 million	192 million	37.4 billion
1979	68 million	125 million	33.3 billion
1978	74 million	389 million	39.2 billion
1977	39 million	500 million	37 billion
1976	69 million	419 million	33 billion
1975	104 million	235 million	34.2 billion
1974	61 million	177 million	32.9 billion
1973	158 million	369 million	32.6 billion
1972	15 million	291 million	28.7 billion
1971	48 million	309 million	29.3 billion
1970	82 million	511 million	22.1 billion
1969	–	211 million	24.7 billion
1968	–	217 million	22.4 billion
1967	15 million	299 million	22.1 billion
1966	22 million	496 million	22.4 billion
1965	12 million	386 million	23.1 billion
1964	38 million	302 million	24.2 billion
1963	60 million	520 million	18.1 billion
1962	109 million	232 million	15.5 billion
1961	30 million	–	15 billion
1960	20 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

Mexico vs South Africa: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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