South Africa vs Vietnam: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 30 million TIV in South Africa and 177 million TIV in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Vietnam, by 147 million TIV, or 5.9 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South AfricaVietnamWorld

What the numbers say

Vietnam 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	Vietnam	World
2025	30 million	177 million	33.3 billion
2024	–	58 million	30.6 billion
2023	30 million	45 million	29.5 billion
2022	30 million	86 million	33 billion
2021	–	235 million	26.8 billion
2020	–	38 million	23.4 billion
2019	–	166 million	26.9 billion
2018	–	604 million	27.3 billion
2017	–	783 million	31.2 billion
2016	–	924 million	31.4 billion
2015	2 million	869 million	28.7 billion
2014	50 million	1.23 billion	27 billion
2013	1 million	360 million	27.4 billion
2012	127 million	782 million	27.9 billion
2011	208 million	1.02 billion	29.9 billion
2010	178 million	161 million	25.8 billion
2009	134 million	61 million	24 billion
2008	493 million	186 million	24.1 billion
2007	910 million	8 million	26.5 billion
2006	741 million	42 million	24.4 billion
2005	262 million	221 million	21.3 billion
2004	–	299 million	21.3 billion
2003	–	22 million	19.2 billion
2002	–	58 million	17.7 billion
2001	18 million	97 million	18.3 billion
2000	6 million	11 million	20.5 billion
1999	21 million	168 million	25.3 billion
1998	–	209 million	27.9 billion
1997	11 million	111 million	28.9 billion
1996	38 million	214 million	23.7 billion
1995	38 million	273 million	22.9 billion
1994	239 million	–	22.8 billion
1993	238 million	–	25.8 billion
1992	361 million	–	24.3 billion
1991	26 million	–	27.8 billion
1990	10 million	116 million	28.6 billion
1989	11 million	128 million	31.7 billion
1988	17 million	65 million	32.9 billion
1987	20 million	50 million	36.2 billion
1986	191 million	78 million	35.5 billion
1985	25 million	28 million	33.2 billion
1984	100 million	557 million	36.8 billion
1983	192 million	916 million	39.1 billion
1982	44 million	532 million	41.4 billion
1981	122 million	1.07 billion	42 billion
1980	192 million	1.02 billion	37.4 billion
1979	125 million	1.25 billion	33.3 billion
1978	389 million	227 million	39.2 billion
1977	500 million	42 million	37 billion
1976	419 million	42 million	33 billion
1975	235 million	493 million	34.2 billion
1974	177 million	859 million	32.9 billion
1973	369 million	1.28 billion	32.6 billion
1972	291 million	1.32 billion	28.7 billion
1971	309 million	1.2 billion	29.3 billion
1970	511 million	1.21 billion	22.1 billion
1969	211 million	909 million	24.7 billion
1968	217 million	1.18 billion	22.4 billion
1967	299 million	1.1 billion	22.1 billion
1966	496 million	1.14 billion	22.4 billion
1965	386 million	651 million	23.1 billion
1964	302 million	266 million	24.2 billion
1963	520 million	107 million	18.1 billion
1962	232 million	47 million	15.5 billion
1961	–	95 million	15 billion
1960	13 million	103 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 Vietnam: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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