South Korea vs Vietnam: Arms imports

Arms imports in 2025: 222 million TIV in South Korea and 177 million TIV in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 45 million TIV, or 1.25 times that in Vietnam.

Watch it change on the map

SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI

South KoreaVietnamWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 2016, when it overtook Vietnam.
In 2025, South Korea ranked 35 and Vietnam ranked 38 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	Vietnam	World
2025	222 million	177 million	33.3 billion
2024	1.03 billion	58 million	30.6 billion
2023	218 million	45 million	29.5 billion
2022	423 million	86 million	33 billion
2021	812 million	235 million	26.8 billion
2020	1.27 billion	38 million	23.4 billion
2019	1.61 billion	166 million	26.9 billion
2018	1.03 billion	604 million	27.3 billion
2017	962 million	783 million	31.2 billion
2016	1.04 billion	924 million	31.4 billion
2015	268 million	869 million	28.7 billion
2014	742 million	1.23 billion	27 billion
2013	189 million	360 million	27.4 billion
2012	1.08 billion	782 million	27.9 billion
2011	1.57 billion	1.02 billion	29.9 billion
2010	1.3 billion	161 million	25.8 billion
2009	798 million	61 million	24 billion
2008	1.69 billion	186 million	24.1 billion
2007	1.73 billion	8 million	26.5 billion
2006	1.66 billion	42 million	24.4 billion
2005	801 million	221 million	21.3 billion
2004	1.06 billion	299 million	21.3 billion
2003	767 million	22 million	19.2 billion
2002	519 million	58 million	17.7 billion
2001	768 million	97 million	18.3 billion
2000	1.39 billion	11 million	20.5 billion
1999	1.64 billion	168 million	25.3 billion
1998	1.42 billion	209 million	27.9 billion
1997	1.22 billion	111 million	28.9 billion
1996	1.97 billion	214 million	23.7 billion
1995	1.95 billion	273 million	22.9 billion
1994	1.01 billion	–	22.8 billion
1993	1.01 billion	–	25.8 billion
1992	782 million	–	24.3 billion
1991	908 million	–	27.8 billion
1990	1.2 billion	116 million	28.6 billion
1989	1.84 billion	128 million	31.7 billion
1988	1.24 billion	65 million	32.9 billion
1987	773 million	50 million	36.2 billion
1986	857 million	78 million	35.5 billion
1985	760 million	28 million	33.2 billion
1984	524 million	557 million	36.8 billion
1983	496 million	916 million	39.1 billion
1982	673 million	532 million	41.4 billion
1981	872 million	1.07 billion	42 billion
1980	877 million	1.02 billion	37.4 billion
1979	1.32 billion	1.25 billion	33.3 billion
1978	399 million	227 million	39.2 billion
1977	1.2 billion	42 million	37 billion
1976	556 million	42 million	33 billion
1975	661 million	493 million	34.2 billion
1974	458 million	859 million	32.9 billion
1973	269 million	1.28 billion	32.6 billion
1972	413 million	1.32 billion	28.7 billion
1971	250 million	1.2 billion	29.3 billion
1970	100 million	1.21 billion	22.1 billion
1969	586 million	909 million	24.7 billion
1968	359 million	1.18 billion	22.4 billion
1967	137 million	1.1 billion	22.1 billion
1966	578 million	1.14 billion	22.4 billion
1965	632 million	651 million	23.1 billion
1964	332 million	266 million	24.2 billion
1963	214 million	107 million	18.1 billion
1962	65 million	47 million	15.5 billion
1961	113 million	95 million	15 billion
1960	122 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 Korea vs Vietnam: Arms imports

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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