Russia vs South Africa: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 1.94 billion TIV in Russia and 115 million TIV in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Russia, by 1.83 billion TIV, or 17 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

RussiaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

Russia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1992.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	Russia	South Africa	World
2025	1.94 billion	115 million	33.5 billion
2024	1.99 billion	96 million	30.7 billion
2023	1.51 billion	105 million	29.5 billion
2022	2.57 billion	113 million	33.3 billion
2021	2.4 billion	143 million	27.1 billion
2020	3.66 billion	150 million	24.1 billion
2019	5.37 billion	129 million	27 billion
2018	7.15 billion	118 million	27.4 billion
2017	6.4 billion	100 million	31.3 billion
2016	6.75 billion	118 million	31.5 billion
2015	5.8 billion	76 million	28.7 billion
2014	5.4 billion	89 million	27.1 billion
2013	7.89 billion	109 million	27.4 billion
2012	8.34 billion	193 million	27.9 billion
2011	8.79 billion	76 million	29.9 billion
2010	6.23 billion	250 million	25.8 billion
2009	5.13 billion	108 million	24.4 billion
2008	6 billion	142 million	24.1 billion
2007	5.6 billion	137 million	26.5 billion
2006	5.18 billion	200 million	24.5 billion
2005	5.2 billion	36 million	21.4 billion
2004	6.35 billion	74 million	21.3 billion
2003	5.27 billion	47 million	19.2 billion
2002	5.74 billion	22 million	17.7 billion
2001	5.25 billion	32 million	18.5 billion
2000	4.5 billion	21 million	20.5 billion
1999	4.41 billion	24 million	25.4 billion
1998	2.12 billion	14 million	27.9 billion
1997	3.45 billion	7 million	28.9 billion
1996	3.64 billion	31 million	23.7 billion
1995	3.83 billion	17 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.54 billion	13 million	23 billion
1993	3.49 billion	54 million	25.8 billion
1992	2.64 billion	85 million	24.3 billion
1991	–	54 million	28.2 billion
1990	–	–	30.2 billion
1989	–	0	34.9 billion
1988	–	25 million	36.8 billion
1987	–	28 million	39.4 billion
1986	–	25 million	39 billion
1985	–	25 million	38.2 billion
1984	–	–	41.6 billion
1983	–	–	43.9 billion
1982	–	1 million	46.2 billion
1981	–	49 million	45.8 billion
1980	–	49 million	42.2 billion
1979	–	–	38.4 billion
1978	–	–	42.4 billion
1977	–	0	40 billion
1976	–	20 million	36 billion
1975	–	29 million	37.2 billion
1974	–	2 million	36.6 billion
1973	–	1 million	36.3 billion
1972	–	22 million	34.5 billion
1971	–	7 million	32.9 billion
1970	–	2 million	25.3 billion
1969	–	13 million	28.1 billion
1968	–	9 million	26.1 billion
1967	–	8 million	25.6 billion
1966	–	–	25.8 billion
1965	–	–	25.8 billion
1964	–	–	26.7 billion
1963	–	–	20.3 billion
1962	–	–	17.5 billion
1961	–	33 million	16.4 billion
1960	–	27 million	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

Russia vs South Africa: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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