South Africa vs United States: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 30 million TIV in South Africa and 745 million TIV in United States, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 715 million TIV, or 25 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South AfricaUnited StatesWorld

What the numbers say

United States 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 States	World
2025	30 million	745 million	33.3 billion
2024	–	1.05 billion	30.6 billion
2023	30 million	891 million	29.5 billion
2022	30 million	846 million	33 billion
2021	–	922 million	26.8 billion
2020	–	806 million	23.4 billion
2019	–	882 million	26.9 billion
2018	–	379 million	27.3 billion
2017	–	504 million	31.2 billion
2016	–	447 million	31.4 billion
2015	2 million	482 million	28.7 billion
2014	50 million	568 million	27 billion
2013	1 million	767 million	27.4 billion
2012	127 million	1.14 billion	27.9 billion
2011	208 million	937 million	29.9 billion
2010	178 million	969 million	25.8 billion
2009	134 million	939 million	24 billion
2008	493 million	936 million	24.1 billion
2007	910 million	842 million	26.5 billion
2006	741 million	706 million	24.4 billion
2005	262 million	582 million	21.3 billion
2004	–	596 million	21.3 billion
2003	–	630 million	19.2 billion
2002	–	515 million	17.7 billion
2001	18 million	508 million	18.3 billion
2000	6 million	333 million	20.5 billion
1999	21 million	220 million	25.3 billion
1998	–	262 million	27.9 billion
1997	11 million	610 million	28.9 billion
1996	38 million	601 million	23.7 billion
1995	38 million	809 million	22.9 billion
1994	239 million	951 million	22.8 billion
1993	238 million	968 million	25.8 billion
1992	361 million	540 million	24.3 billion
1991	26 million	515 million	27.8 billion
1990	10 million	363 million	28.6 billion
1989	11 million	1.78 billion	31.7 billion
1988	17 million	1.79 billion	32.9 billion
1987	20 million	2 billion	36.2 billion
1986	191 million	424 million	35.5 billion
1985	25 million	655 million	33.2 billion
1984	100 million	381 million	36.8 billion
1983	192 million	463 million	39.1 billion
1982	44 million	248 million	41.4 billion
1981	122 million	531 million	42 billion
1980	192 million	380 million	37.4 billion
1979	125 million	253 million	33.3 billion
1978	389 million	369 million	39.2 billion
1977	500 million	384 million	37 billion
1976	419 million	499 million	33 billion
1975	235 million	388 million	34.2 billion
1974	177 million	586 million	32.9 billion
1973	369 million	656 million	32.6 billion
1972	291 million	769 million	28.7 billion
1971	309 million	578 million	29.3 billion
1970	511 million	38 million	22.1 billion
1969	211 million	50 million	24.7 billion
1968	217 million	62 million	22.4 billion
1967	299 million	88 million	22.1 billion
1966	496 million	89 million	22.4 billion
1965	386 million	170 million	23.1 billion
1964	302 million	358 million	24.2 billion
1963	520 million	283 million	18.1 billion
1962	232 million	236 million	15.5 billion
1961	–	198 million	15 billion
1960	13 million	181 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 States

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Africa: 0 deaths in 2022United States: 1 deaths in 2022