Nigeria vs South Africa: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 21 million TIV in Nigeria and 30 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 9 million TIV, or 1.43 times that in Nigeria.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

NigeriaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

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

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Nigeria	South Africa	World
2025	21 million	30 million	33.3 billion
2024	93 million	–	30.6 billion
2023	93 million	30 million	29.5 billion
2022	53 million	30 million	33 billion
2021	273 million	–	26.8 billion
2020	84 million	–	23.4 billion
2019	18 million	–	26.9 billion
2018	49 million	–	27.3 billion
2017	42 million	–	31.2 billion
2016	61 million	–	31.4 billion
2015	188 million	2 million	28.7 billion
2014	236 million	50 million	27 billion
2013	30 million	1 million	27.4 billion
2012	28 million	127 million	27.9 billion
2011	63 million	208 million	29.9 billion
2010	223 million	178 million	25.8 billion
2009	65 million	134 million	24 billion
2008	33 million	493 million	24.1 billion
2007	62 million	910 million	26.5 billion
2006	16 million	741 million	24.4 billion
2005	–	262 million	21.3 billion
2004	11 million	–	21.3 billion
2003	66 million	–	19.2 billion
2002	6 million	–	17.7 billion
2001	9 million	18 million	18.3 billion
2000	36 million	6 million	20.5 billion
1999	–	21 million	25.3 billion
1998	–	–	27.9 billion
1997	1 million	11 million	28.9 billion
1996	15 million	38 million	23.7 billion
1995	2 million	38 million	22.9 billion
1994	95 million	239 million	22.8 billion
1993	41 million	238 million	25.8 billion
1992	59 million	361 million	24.3 billion
1991	4 million	26 million	27.8 billion
1990	18 million	10 million	28.6 billion
1989	15 million	11 million	31.7 billion
1988	62 million	17 million	32.9 billion
1987	115 million	20 million	36.2 billion
1986	211 million	191 million	35.5 billion
1985	569 million	25 million	33.2 billion
1984	359 million	100 million	36.8 billion
1983	41 million	192 million	39.1 billion
1982	642 million	44 million	41.4 billion
1981	331 million	122 million	42 billion
1980	474 million	192 million	37.4 billion
1979	108 million	125 million	33.3 billion
1978	142 million	389 million	39.2 billion
1977	90 million	500 million	37 billion
1976	104 million	419 million	33 billion
1975	424 million	235 million	34.2 billion
1974	24 million	177 million	32.9 billion
1973	7 million	369 million	32.6 billion
1972	113 million	291 million	28.7 billion
1971	12 million	309 million	29.3 billion
1970	14 million	511 million	22.1 billion
1969	39 million	211 million	24.7 billion
1968	50 million	217 million	22.4 billion
1967	47 million	299 million	22.1 billion
1966	159 million	496 million	22.4 billion
1965	56 million	386 million	23.1 billion
1964	2 million	302 million	24.2 billion
1963	9 million	520 million	18.1 billion
1962	8 million	232 million	15.5 billion
1961	1 million	–	15 billion
1960	–	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

Nigeria vs South Africa: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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