South Korea vs United States: Arms exports

Arms exports in 2025: 2.02 billion TIV in South Korea and 14 billion TIV in United States, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 12 billion TIV, or 6.92 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South KoreaUnited StatesWorld

What the numbers say

United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1972.
The world as a whole: 33.5 billion TIV in 2025.

Every year

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

Year	South Korea	United States	World
2025	2.02 billion	14 billion	33.5 billion
2024	1.1 billion	13.7 billion	30.7 billion
2023	675 million	10.9 billion	29.5 billion
2022	231 million	14.5 billion	33.3 billion
2021	536 million	11.6 billion	27.1 billion
2020	829 million	9.73 billion	24.1 billion
2019	675 million	10.5 billion	27 billion
2018	1.05 billion	9.26 billion	27.4 billion
2017	700 million	11.4 billion	31.3 billion
2016	435 million	9.89 billion	31.5 billion
2015	92 million	10.3 billion	28.7 billion
2014	218 million	9.46 billion	27.1 billion
2013	350 million	7.77 billion	27.4 billion
2012	203 million	8.97 billion	27.9 billion
2011	328 million	9.04 billion	29.9 billion
2010	177 million	8.35 billion	25.8 billion
2009	224 million	7.15 billion	24.4 billion
2008	110 million	7.09 billion	24.1 billion
2007	278 million	7.87 billion	26.5 billion
2006	158 million	7.5 billion	24.5 billion
2005	109 million	6.72 billion	21.4 billion
2004	74 million	6.87 billion	21.3 billion
2003	96 million	5.68 billion	19.2 billion
2002	–	4.87 billion	17.7 billion
2001	230 million	5.59 billion	18.5 billion
2000	36 million	7.68 billion	20.5 billion
1999	–	11.6 billion	25.4 billion
1998	32 million	15.8 billion	27.9 billion
1997	25 million	14.5 billion	28.9 billion
1996	24 million	10.8 billion	23.7 billion
1995	30 million	11.2 billion	22.9 billion
1994	7 million	11.5 billion	23 billion
1993	62 million	13.8 billion	25.8 billion
1992	–	14.1 billion	24.3 billion
1991	118 million	12.6 billion	28.2 billion
1990	72 million	10.7 billion	30.2 billion
1989	48 million	11.4 billion	34.9 billion
1988	54 million	12 billion	36.8 billion
1987	–	12.2 billion	39.4 billion
1986	73 million	11.6 billion	39 billion
1985	28 million	10.8 billion	38.2 billion
1984	126 million	11.9 billion	41.6 billion
1983	–	13.8 billion	43.9 billion
1982	65 million	14 billion	46.2 billion
1981	130 million	13.7 billion	45.8 billion
1980	105 million	10.7 billion	42.2 billion
1979	105 million	9.79 billion	38.4 billion
1978	–	13.5 billion	42.4 billion
1977	–	14.3 billion	40 billion
1976	–	15.7 billion	36 billion
1975	–	15.3 billion	37.2 billion
1974	–	12.7 billion	36.6 billion
1973	–	12 billion	36.3 billion
1972	141 million	10.7 billion	34.5 billion
1971	–	11.6 billion	32.9 billion
1970	–	8.35 billion	25.3 billion
1969	–	11.6 billion	28.1 billion
1968	–	8.62 billion	26.1 billion
1967	–	7.44 billion	25.6 billion
1966	–	8.94 billion	25.8 billion
1965	–	12 billion	25.8 billion
1964	–	12.5 billion	26.7 billion
1963	–	9.43 billion	20.3 billion
1962	–	6.13 billion	17.5 billion
1961	–	6.29 billion	16.4 billion
1960	–	6.13 billion	17.6 billion

Each country on its own

Good to know

Major weapons the country sent abroad, 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.
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 United States: Arms exports

What the numbers say

Every year

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