North Korea vs South Korea

North Korea vs South Korea: Arms imports

Arms imports: 1 million TIV in North Korea in 2010 and 222 million TIV in South Korea in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2010 the value was higher in South Korea, by 1.3 billion TIV, or 1,300 times that in North Korea.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

North Korea vs South Korea: Arms importsArms imports: 1 million TIV in North Korea in 2010 and 222 million TIV in South Korea in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2010 the value was higher in South Korea, by 1.3 billion TIV, or 1,300 times that in North Korea.
North KoreaSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

  • South Korea has been higher since 1988, when it overtook North Korea.
  • The world as a whole: 25.8 billion TIV in 2010.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

YearNorth KoreaSouth KoreaWorld
2025–222 million33.3 billion
2024–1.03 billion30.6 billion
2023–218 million29.5 billion
2022–423 million33 billion
2021–812 million26.8 billion
2020–1.27 billion23.4 billion
2019–1.61 billion26.9 billion
2018–1.03 billion27.3 billion
2017–962 million31.2 billion
2016–1.04 billion31.4 billion
2015–268 million28.7 billion
2014–742 million27 billion
2013–189 million27.4 billion
2012–1.08 billion27.9 billion
2011–1.57 billion29.9 billion
20101 million1.3 billion25.8 billion
20094 million798 million24 billion
20085 million1.69 billion24.1 billion
20075 million1.73 billion26.5 billion
20065 million1.66 billion24.4 billion
20055 million801 million21.3 billion
20048 million1.06 billion21.3 billion
200335 million767 million19.2 billion
200254 million519 million17.7 billion
200173 million768 million18.3 billion
200063 million1.39 billion20.5 billion
199954 million1.64 billion25.3 billion
199854 million1.42 billion27.9 billion
199754 million1.22 billion28.9 billion
1996118 million1.97 billion23.7 billion
1995184 million1.95 billion22.9 billion
199479 million1.01 billion22.8 billion
1993146 million1.01 billion25.8 billion
1992183 million782 million24.3 billion
1991251 million908 million27.8 billion
1990340 million1.2 billion28.6 billion
1989561 million1.84 billion31.7 billion
1988818 million1.24 billion32.9 billion
1987813 million773 million36.2 billion
19861.08 billion857 million35.5 billion
1985963 million760 million33.2 billion
1984112 million524 million36.8 billion
1983339 million496 million39.1 billion
1982527 million673 million41.4 billion
1981347 million872 million42 billion
1980487 million877 million37.4 billion
1979313 million1.32 billion33.3 billion
1978354 million399 million39.2 billion
1977297 million1.2 billion37 billion
1976487 million556 million33 billion
1975561 million661 million34.2 billion
1974793 million458 million32.9 billion
1973535 million269 million32.6 billion
1972482 million413 million28.7 billion
19711.5 billion250 million29.3 billion
1970649 million100 million22.1 billion
1969609 million586 million24.7 billion
19681.31 billion359 million22.4 billion
1967846 million137 million22.1 billion
1966832 million578 million22.4 billion
1965118 million632 million23.1 billion
1964168 million332 million24.2 billion
1963197 million214 million18.1 billion
1962181 million65 million15.5 billion
196169 million113 million15 billion
1960405 million122 million15.7 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

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