South Korea
Arms imports in South Korea
Arms imports in South Korea: 122 million TIV in 1960 and 222 million TIV in 2025, by SIPRI estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 222 million TIV
- Since 1960
- +100 million TIV
- Rank, 2025
- 35 of 110
- counting from the highest
- World, 2025
- 33.3 billion TIV
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- The highest was 1.97 billion TIV in 1996, the lowest 65 million TIV in 1962.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | South Korea | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 222 million | 33.3 billion |
| 2024 | 1.03 billion | 30.6 billion |
| 2023 | 218 million | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | 423 million | 33 billion |
| 2021 | 812 million | 26.8 billion |
| 2020 | 1.27 billion | 23.4 billion |
| 2019 | 1.61 billion | 26.9 billion |
| 2018 | 1.03 billion | 27.3 billion |
| 2017 | 962 million | 31.2 billion |
| 2016 | 1.04 billion | 31.4 billion |
| 2015 | 268 million | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | 742 million | 27 billion |
| 2013 | 189 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | 1.08 billion | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | 1.57 billion | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | 1.3 billion | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | 798 million | 24 billion |
| 2008 | 1.69 billion | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | 1.73 billion | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | 1.66 billion | 24.4 billion |
| 2005 | 801 million | 21.3 billion |
| 2004 | 1.06 billion | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | 767 million | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | 519 million | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | 768 million | 18.3 billion |
| 2000 | 1.39 billion | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | 1.64 billion | 25.3 billion |
| 1998 | 1.42 billion | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | 1.22 billion | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | 1.97 billion | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | 1.95 billion | 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 | 28.6 billion |
| 1989 | 1.84 billion | 31.7 billion |
| 1988 | 1.24 billion | 32.9 billion |
| 1987 | 773 million | 36.2 billion |
| 1986 | 857 million | 35.5 billion |
| 1985 | 760 million | 33.2 billion |
| 1984 | 524 million | 36.8 billion |
| 1983 | 496 million | 39.1 billion |
| 1982 | 673 million | 41.4 billion |
| 1981 | 872 million | 42 billion |
| 1980 | 877 million | 37.4 billion |
| 1979 | 1.32 billion | 33.3 billion |
| 1978 | 399 million | 39.2 billion |
| 1977 | 1.2 billion | 37 billion |
| 1976 | 556 million | 33 billion |
| 1975 | 661 million | 34.2 billion |
| 1974 | 458 million | 32.9 billion |
| 1973 | 269 million | 32.6 billion |
| 1972 | 413 million | 28.7 billion |
| 1971 | 250 million | 29.3 billion |
| 1970 | 100 million | 22.1 billion |
| 1969 | 586 million | 24.7 billion |
| 1968 | 359 million | 22.4 billion |
| 1967 | 137 million | 22.1 billion |
| 1966 | 578 million | 22.4 billion |
| 1965 | 632 million | 23.1 billion |
| 1964 | 332 million | 24.2 billion |
| 1963 | 214 million | 18.1 billion |
| 1962 | 65 million | 15.5 billion |
| 1961 | 113 million | 15 billion |
| 1960 | 122 million | 15.7 billion |
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 in numbers
Every measure for South Korea on one page
Health
People
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per person$924 in 2025
- Military share of state spending10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel569,000 people in 2020
- National power2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms exports2.02 billion TIV in 2025