South Africa vs Thailand: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 30 million TIV in South Africa and 33 million TIV in Thailand, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Thailand, by 3 million TIV, or 1.1 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South AfricaThailandWorld

What the numbers say

Thailand has been higher since 2011, 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	Thailand	World
2025	30 million	33 million	33.3 billion
2024	–	73 million	30.6 billion
2023	30 million	290 million	29.5 billion
2022	30 million	271 million	33 billion
2021	–	151 million	26.8 billion
2020	–	141 million	23.4 billion
2019	–	293 million	26.9 billion
2018	–	636 million	27.3 billion
2017	–	317 million	31.2 billion
2016	–	346 million	31.4 billion
2015	2 million	184 million	28.7 billion
2014	50 million	107 million	27 billion
2013	1 million	383 million	27.4 billion
2012	127 million	278 million	27.9 billion
2011	208 million	252 million	29.9 billion
2010	178 million	60 million	25.8 billion
2009	134 million	63 million	24 billion
2008	493 million	16 million	24.1 billion
2007	910 million	8 million	26.5 billion
2006	741 million	99 million	24.4 billion
2005	262 million	115 million	21.3 billion
2004	–	138 million	21.3 billion
2003	–	131 million	19.2 billion
2002	–	152 million	17.7 billion
2001	18 million	109 million	18.3 billion
2000	6 million	77 million	20.5 billion
1999	21 million	160 million	25.3 billion
1998	–	62 million	27.9 billion
1997	11 million	910 million	28.9 billion
1996	38 million	741 million	23.7 billion
1995	38 million	530 million	22.9 billion
1994	239 million	608 million	22.8 billion
1993	238 million	182 million	25.8 billion
1992	361 million	429 million	24.3 billion
1991	26 million	575 million	27.8 billion
1990	10 million	235 million	28.6 billion
1989	11 million	284 million	31.7 billion
1988	17 million	623 million	32.9 billion
1987	20 million	539 million	36.2 billion
1986	191 million	162 million	35.5 billion
1985	25 million	185 million	33.2 billion
1984	100 million	360 million	36.8 billion
1983	192 million	247 million	39.1 billion
1982	44 million	81 million	41.4 billion
1981	122 million	350 million	42 billion
1980	192 million	318 million	37.4 billion
1979	125 million	326 million	33.3 billion
1978	389 million	192 million	39.2 billion
1977	500 million	111 million	37 billion
1976	419 million	154 million	33 billion
1975	235 million	90 million	34.2 billion
1974	177 million	114 million	32.9 billion
1973	369 million	321 million	32.6 billion
1972	291 million	147 million	28.7 billion
1971	309 million	243 million	29.3 billion
1970	511 million	258 million	22.1 billion
1969	211 million	121 million	24.7 billion
1968	217 million	88 million	22.4 billion
1967	299 million	140 million	22.1 billion
1966	496 million	58 million	22.4 billion
1965	386 million	87 million	23.1 billion
1964	302 million	84 million	24.2 billion
1963	520 million	111 million	18.1 billion
1962	232 million	113 million	15.5 billion
1961	–	52 million	15 billion
1960	13 million	28 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 Thailand: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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