In the last five years, Europe has become the world’s leading arms importer.
According to data from the latest report published today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), imports to the old continent have more than tripled compared to the previous five-year period.
Europe is now the most important region for arms imports, while between 2016 and 2020 the main importing regions were Asia and Oceania (42% of all imports) and the Middle East (32%). Europe was in third place, but much further behind (12%). Now it ranks first in the world with a 33% share. Close behind are Asia and Oceania (31%) and the Middle East (26%). “The sharp increase in arms flows to European states has pushed global arms transfers to an increase of nearly 10%,” notes Mathew George, one of the authors of the new Sipri study.
The growth is mainly driven by the war in Ukraine and the strengthening of the military capabilities of European states. At the same time, total exports from the United States, the world’s leading arms supplier, have increased by 27%. This includes a 217% increase in US arms exports to Europe, specifies Sipri.
All the details.
GLOBAL INCREASE IN ARMS SUPPLIES
According to the report published by the Stockholm think tank, which analyzes the volume of supplies rather than their financial value, global arms transfers increased by 9.2% comparing the periods 2016-2020 and 2021-2025.
The increase in global arms flows is the largest since 2011-2015. The data is largely due to the growth of transfers to Ukraine (which received 9.7% of all arms transfers in the period 2021-25) and other European states. Apart from Europe and the Americas, arms imports to all other regions of the world have decreased.
“While tensions and conflicts in Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East continue to drive large-scale arms imports, the sharp increase in arms flows to European states has pushed global arms transfers to an increase of nearly 10%,” explains Mathew George, Director of the Arms Transfers Program at Sipri. “Deliveries to Ukraine since 2022 are the most obvious factor, but most other European states have also started importing significantly larger quantities of arms to strengthen their military capabilities against a growing perceived threat from Russia.”
EUROPE BECOMES THE MAIN IMPORTER
Thus, in the period 2021-2025, European countries have more than tripled their imports compared to the previous five-year period. Europe now represents 33% of global arms imports, compared to 12% recorded between 2016 and 2020.
This increase is largely linked to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the need for European countries to militarily support Kyiv and rebuild their arsenals after years of limited defense investments.
“Russia is solely responsible for the sharp increase in European arms imports,” commented Katarina Djokic, researcher of the Arms Transfers Program at the Stockholm institute.
DEPENDENCE ON MADE IN USA ARMAMENTS
Almost half of the arms transferred to European states came from the United States (48%), followed by Germany (7.1%) and France (6.2%).
Despite efforts to increase domestic production, many European states have continued to purchase arms from the United States, particularly fighter jets and long-range air defense systems, notes the Stockholm think tank.
The growing pressure exerted by Russia, aggravated by uncertainties about the United States’ commitment to defending its European allies, has increased demand for arms among the European NATO member states. Overall arms imports of the 29 current European NATO members grew by 143% between 2016-20 and 2021-25. The United States supplied 58% of these imports in 2021-25. The next largest suppliers were South Korea (8.6%), Israel (7.7%), and France (7.4%).
DESPITE EU POLICIES IN FAVOR OF THE EUROPEAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY
Despite Brussels’ policies supporting increased domestic production and new intra-EU orders, European states have continued to import arms from Washington.
“Although European companies have increased arms production and the new European Union investment support for member states’ defense industries has led to a series of intra-EU orders, European states have continued to import arms from the United States in 2021-25, particularly fighter jets and long-range air defense systems,” explained Djokic. At the same time, the major European suppliers have continued to export most of their arms outside Europe.
WARSAW THE LARGEST ARMS IMPORTER AMONG EUROPEAN NATO COUNTRIES
Looking in detail at countries, after Ukraine, Poland and the United Kingdom are the largest importers in Europe in the last five years. Poland, which borders Ukraine and Belarus, is the largest arms importer among European NATO countries, representing 17% of all imports in this category. This represents 3.6% of total global arms imports.
WHO ARE THE MAIN ARMS EXPORTERS, USA AT THE TOP OF THE RANKING
As for suppliers, the United States has strengthened its dominant position in the global arms export market. Its share rose from 36% to 42% of the total.
Specifically, the US supplied 42% of all international arms transfers in the period 2021-2025, compared to 36% in the period 2016-2020. According to the Sipri report, they exported arms to 99 states in the period 2021-2025, including 35 in Europe, 18 in the Americas, 17 in Africa, 17 in Asia and Oceania, and 12 in the Middle East.
AGAIN EUROPE RECEIVES THE LARGEST SHARE OF STAR-SPANGLED ARMS
For the first time in twenty years, the largest share of US arms exports is destined for Europe (38%) rather than the Middle East (33%). Nevertheless, the main recipient of US arms is Saudi Arabia (12% of US arms exports), the report specifies.
“The United States has further consolidated its dominance as an arms supplier, even in an increasingly multipolar world,” commented Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher of the Arms Transfers Program at the Stockholm institute. “For importers, US arms offer advanced capabilities and a way to promote good relations with the United States, while the US sees arms exports as a foreign policy tool and a way to strengthen its defense industry, as once again demonstrated by the new ‘America First Arms Transfer’ strategy of the Trump administration.”
FRANCE BEHIND THE USA
France ranks second with 9.8% of global exports. French military exports increased by 21% between 2016-20 and 2021-2025. France exported to 63 states, with the largest shares destined for India (24%), Egypt (11%), and Greece (10%). French arms exports within Europe have more than quintupled (+452%), but almost 80% are destined abroad.
Overall, the combined share of European exports reached 28%, a value four times that of Russia and five times that of China. Moscow’s military export share fell to 6.8% compared to 21% recorded before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
GROWTH OF MILITARY EXPORTS FOR ITALY
Finally, the Italian data deserves attention. Italy’s arms exports increased by 157%, moving from the tenth largest exporter in the period 2016-20 to the sixth in the period 2021-25. More than half of Italian exports are destined for the Middle East (59%), while 16% went to Asia and Oceania and 13% to Europe.
