South Africa vs South Korea: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 30 million TIV in South Africa and 222 million TIV in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 192 million TIV, or 7.4 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South AfricaSouth KoreaWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 1974, when it overtook South Africa.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	South Africa	South Korea	World
2025	30 million	222 million	33.3 billion
2024	–	1.03 billion	30.6 billion
2023	30 million	218 million	29.5 billion
2022	30 million	423 million	33 billion
2021	–	812 million	26.8 billion
2020	–	1.27 billion	23.4 billion
2019	–	1.61 billion	26.9 billion
2018	–	1.03 billion	27.3 billion
2017	–	962 million	31.2 billion
2016	–	1.04 billion	31.4 billion
2015	2 million	268 million	28.7 billion
2014	50 million	742 million	27 billion
2013	1 million	189 million	27.4 billion
2012	127 million	1.08 billion	27.9 billion
2011	208 million	1.57 billion	29.9 billion
2010	178 million	1.3 billion	25.8 billion
2009	134 million	798 million	24 billion
2008	493 million	1.69 billion	24.1 billion
2007	910 million	1.73 billion	26.5 billion
2006	741 million	1.66 billion	24.4 billion
2005	262 million	801 million	21.3 billion
2004	–	1.06 billion	21.3 billion
2003	–	767 million	19.2 billion
2002	–	519 million	17.7 billion
2001	18 million	768 million	18.3 billion
2000	6 million	1.39 billion	20.5 billion
1999	21 million	1.64 billion	25.3 billion
1998	–	1.42 billion	27.9 billion
1997	11 million	1.22 billion	28.9 billion
1996	38 million	1.97 billion	23.7 billion
1995	38 million	1.95 billion	22.9 billion
1994	239 million	1.01 billion	22.8 billion
1993	238 million	1.01 billion	25.8 billion
1992	361 million	782 million	24.3 billion
1991	26 million	908 million	27.8 billion
1990	10 million	1.2 billion	28.6 billion
1989	11 million	1.84 billion	31.7 billion
1988	17 million	1.24 billion	32.9 billion
1987	20 million	773 million	36.2 billion
1986	191 million	857 million	35.5 billion
1985	25 million	760 million	33.2 billion
1984	100 million	524 million	36.8 billion
1983	192 million	496 million	39.1 billion
1982	44 million	673 million	41.4 billion
1981	122 million	872 million	42 billion
1980	192 million	877 million	37.4 billion
1979	125 million	1.32 billion	33.3 billion
1978	389 million	399 million	39.2 billion
1977	500 million	1.2 billion	37 billion
1976	419 million	556 million	33 billion
1975	235 million	661 million	34.2 billion
1974	177 million	458 million	32.9 billion
1973	369 million	269 million	32.6 billion
1972	291 million	413 million	28.7 billion
1971	309 million	250 million	29.3 billion
1970	511 million	100 million	22.1 billion
1969	211 million	586 million	24.7 billion
1968	217 million	359 million	22.4 billion
1967	299 million	137 million	22.1 billion
1966	496 million	578 million	22.4 billion
1965	386 million	632 million	23.1 billion
1964	302 million	332 million	24.2 billion
1963	520 million	214 million	18.1 billion
1962	232 million	65 million	15.5 billion
1961	–	113 million	15 billion
1960	13 million	122 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

South Africa vs South Korea: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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