North Korea vs South Korea: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 44 million TIV in North Korea and 2.02 billion TIV in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 1.98 billion TIV, or 46 times that in North Korea.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

North KoreaSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 2004, when it overtook North Korea.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	North Korea	South Korea	World
2025	44 million	2.02 billion	33.5 billion
2024	211 million	1.1 billion	30.7 billion
2023	9 million	675 million	29.5 billion
2022	–	231 million	33.3 billion
2021	–	536 million	27.1 billion
2020	–	829 million	24.1 billion
2019	–	675 million	27 billion
2018	–	1.05 billion	27.4 billion
2017	–	700 million	31.3 billion
2016	–	435 million	31.5 billion
2015	–	92 million	28.7 billion
2014	1 million	218 million	27.1 billion
2013	–	350 million	27.4 billion
2012	–	203 million	27.9 billion
2011	–	328 million	29.9 billion
2010	7 million	177 million	25.8 billion
2009	23 million	224 million	24.4 billion
2008	15 million	110 million	24.1 billion
2007	15 million	278 million	26.5 billion
2006	15 million	158 million	24.5 billion
2005	15 million	109 million	21.4 billion
2004	42 million	74 million	21.3 billion
2003	129 million	96 million	19.2 billion
2002	150 million	–	17.7 billion
2001	53 million	230 million	18.5 billion
2000	40 million	36 million	20.5 billion
1999	42 million	–	25.4 billion
1998	59 million	32 million	27.9 billion
1997	35 million	25 million	28.9 billion
1996	35 million	24 million	23.7 billion
1995	33 million	30 million	22.9 billion
1994	21 million	7 million	23 billion
1993	104 million	62 million	25.8 billion
1992	98 million	–	24.3 billion
1991	85 million	118 million	28.2 billion
1990	6 million	72 million	30.2 billion
1989	65 million	48 million	34.9 billion
1988	179 million	54 million	36.8 billion
1987	189 million	–	39.4 billion
1986	53 million	73 million	39 billion
1985	154 million	28 million	38.2 billion
1984	185 million	126 million	41.6 billion
1983	231 million	–	43.9 billion
1982	129 million	65 million	46.2 billion
1981	27 million	130 million	45.8 billion
1980	43 million	105 million	42.2 billion
1979	20 million	105 million	38.4 billion
1978	–	–	42.4 billion
1977	–	–	40 billion
1976	–	–	36 billion
1975	12 million	–	37.2 billion
1974	8 million	–	36.6 billion
1973	–	–	36.3 billion
1972	–	141 million	34.5 billion
1971	–	–	32.9 billion
1970	–	–	25.3 billion
1969	–	–	28.1 billion
1968	–	–	26.1 billion
1967	–	–	25.6 billion
1966	–	–	25.8 billion
1965	–	–	25.8 billion
1964	–	–	26.7 billion
1963	–	–	20.3 billion
1962	–	–	17.5 billion
1961	–	–	16.4 billion
1960	–	–	17.6 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

Major weapons the country sent abroad, 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.
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

North Korea vs South Korea: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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