South Korea vs Thailand: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 222 million TIV in South Korea and 33 million TIV in Thailand, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 189 million TIV, or 6.73 times that in Thailand.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South KoreaThailandWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Thailand.
In 2025, South Korea ranked 35 and Thailand ranked 60 of 110 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	South Korea	Thailand	World
2025	222 million	33 million	33.3 billion
2024	1.03 billion	73 million	30.6 billion
2023	218 million	290 million	29.5 billion
2022	423 million	271 million	33 billion
2021	812 million	151 million	26.8 billion
2020	1.27 billion	141 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.61 billion	293 million	26.9 billion
2018	1.03 billion	636 million	27.3 billion
2017	962 million	317 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.04 billion	346 million	31.4 billion
2015	268 million	184 million	28.7 billion
2014	742 million	107 million	27 billion
2013	189 million	383 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.08 billion	278 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.57 billion	252 million	29.9 billion
2010	1.3 billion	60 million	25.8 billion
2009	798 million	63 million	24 billion
2008	1.69 billion	16 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.73 billion	8 million	26.5 billion
2006	1.66 billion	99 million	24.4 billion
2005	801 million	115 million	21.3 billion
2004	1.06 billion	138 million	21.3 billion
2003	767 million	131 million	19.2 billion
2002	519 million	152 million	17.7 billion
2001	768 million	109 million	18.3 billion
2000	1.39 billion	77 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.64 billion	160 million	25.3 billion
1998	1.42 billion	62 million	27.9 billion
1997	1.22 billion	910 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.97 billion	741 million	23.7 billion
1995	1.95 billion	530 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.01 billion	608 million	22.8 billion
1993	1.01 billion	182 million	25.8 billion
1992	782 million	429 million	24.3 billion
1991	908 million	575 million	27.8 billion
1990	1.2 billion	235 million	28.6 billion
1989	1.84 billion	284 million	31.7 billion
1988	1.24 billion	623 million	32.9 billion
1987	773 million	539 million	36.2 billion
1986	857 million	162 million	35.5 billion
1985	760 million	185 million	33.2 billion
1984	524 million	360 million	36.8 billion
1983	496 million	247 million	39.1 billion
1982	673 million	81 million	41.4 billion
1981	872 million	350 million	42 billion
1980	877 million	318 million	37.4 billion
1979	1.32 billion	326 million	33.3 billion
1978	399 million	192 million	39.2 billion
1977	1.2 billion	111 million	37 billion
1976	556 million	154 million	33 billion
1975	661 million	90 million	34.2 billion
1974	458 million	114 million	32.9 billion
1973	269 million	321 million	32.6 billion
1972	413 million	147 million	28.7 billion
1971	250 million	243 million	29.3 billion
1970	100 million	258 million	22.1 billion
1969	586 million	121 million	24.7 billion
1968	359 million	88 million	22.4 billion
1967	137 million	140 million	22.1 billion
1966	578 million	58 million	22.4 billion
1965	632 million	87 million	23.1 billion
1964	332 million	84 million	24.2 billion
1963	214 million	111 million	18.1 billion
1962	65 million	113 million	15.5 billion
1961	113 million	52 million	15 billion
1960	122 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 Korea vs Thailand: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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