South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 30 million TIV in South Africa and 868 million TIV in United Arab Emirates, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 838 million TIV, or 29 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South AfricaUnited Arab EmiratesWorld

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2008, 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	United Arab Emirates	World
2025	30 million	868 million	33.3 billion
2024	–	1.09 billion	30.6 billion
2023	30 million	918 million	29.5 billion
2022	30 million	756 million	33 billion
2021	–	577 million	26.8 billion
2020	–	660 million	23.4 billion
2019	–	750 million	26.9 billion
2018	–	1.17 billion	27.3 billion
2017	–	909 million	31.2 billion
2016	–	1.49 billion	31.4 billion
2015	2 million	1.69 billion	28.7 billion
2014	50 million	736 million	27 billion
2013	1 million	2.32 billion	27.4 billion
2012	127 million	1.14 billion	27.9 billion
2011	208 million	1.22 billion	29.9 billion
2010	178 million	650 million	25.8 billion
2009	134 million	604 million	24 billion
2008	493 million	730 million	24.1 billion
2007	910 million	819 million	26.5 billion
2006	741 million	1.93 billion	24.4 billion
2005	262 million	2.07 billion	21.3 billion
2004	–	1.15 billion	21.3 billion
2003	–	676 million	19.2 billion
2002	–	223 million	17.7 billion
2001	18 million	186 million	18.3 billion
2000	6 million	244 million	20.5 billion
1999	21 million	441 million	25.3 billion
1998	–	757 million	27.9 billion
1997	11 million	690 million	28.9 billion
1996	38 million	481 million	23.7 billion
1995	38 million	426 million	22.9 billion
1994	239 million	571 million	22.8 billion
1993	238 million	582 million	25.8 billion
1992	361 million	205 million	24.3 billion
1991	26 million	237 million	27.8 billion
1990	10 million	561 million	28.6 billion
1989	11 million	663 million	31.7 billion
1988	17 million	45 million	32.9 billion
1987	20 million	195 million	36.2 billion
1986	191 million	132 million	35.5 billion
1985	25 million	145 million	33.2 billion
1984	100 million	310 million	36.8 billion
1983	192 million	163 million	39.1 billion
1982	44 million	155 million	41.4 billion
1981	122 million	420 million	42 billion
1980	192 million	213 million	37.4 billion
1979	125 million	39 million	33.3 billion
1978	389 million	230 million	39.2 billion
1977	500 million	310 million	37 billion
1976	419 million	275 million	33 billion
1975	235 million	145 million	34.2 billion
1974	177 million	100 million	32.9 billion
1973	369 million	88 million	32.6 billion
1972	291 million	28 million	28.7 billion
1971	309 million	24 million	29.3 billion
1970	511 million	67 million	22.1 billion
1969	211 million	12 million	24.7 billion
1968	217 million	13 million	22.4 billion
1967	299 million	–	22.1 billion
1966	496 million	–	22.4 billion
1965	386 million	–	23.1 billion
1964	302 million	–	24.2 billion
1963	520 million	–	18.1 billion
1962	232 million	–	15.5 billion
1961	–	–	15 billion
1960	13 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 United Arab Emirates

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Africa: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022