India: The Second-Largest Arms Importer After Ukraine

Sub : Sci

Sec: Defence

Why in News

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released a report on global arms transfers for the period 2020-24.India emerged as the second-largest arms importer, following Ukraine.

Key Findings from SIPRI Report:

Ukraine became the largest importer of major arms globally during 2020-24 due to its ongoing war with Russia, recording a nearly 100-fold increase compared to 2015-19.
Ukraine accounted for 8.8% of global arms imports during 2020-24.
India ranked second in global arms imports, although its overall arms procurement declined by 9.3% between 2015-19 and 2020-24.
India remained the largest arms export destination for both Russia and France, but the volume of imports from Russia has declined.
China dropped out of the top 10 global arms importers for the first time since 1990-94, reflecting its growing domestic defence industry.

India’s Major Arms Suppliers:

Russia remained the largest arms supplier to India, accounting for 36% of total imports, a sharp decline from 55% (2015-19) and 72% (2010-14).
France became India’s second-largest arms supplier, providing 28% of India’s total imports, making India the largest recipient of French arms exports.
Other key suppliers include the United States and Israel, although their shares were comparatively smaller.

Global Arms Trade Trends:

Pakistan’s arms imports grew by 61% between 2015-19 and 2020-24.
China dominated Pakistan’s arms supplies, contributing 81% of Pakistan’s imports in 2020-24, up from 74% (2015-19).
The United States strengthened its position as the largest arms exporter, increasing its global share to 43%.
Russia’s global arms exports declined by 64%, dropping to 7.8% of total exports.
France overtook Russia as the second-largest arms exporter, holding a 9.6% share of the global market.
European nations increased arms imports by 155% during 2020-24 due to regional rearmament.
The total volume of global arms transfers remained stable, comparable to levels in 2015-19 and 2010-14, but 18% higher than in 2005-09.
Italy increased its global arms export share to 4.8%, rising from 10th to 6th position among arms exporters.
France’s arms exports to European nations tripled (187%) during this period, primarily due to deliveries of combat aircraft to Greece and Croatia, and weapons supplies to Ukraine post-2022 invasion.

About SIPRI:

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.
Based in Stockholm, SIPRI is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide.
SIPRI was established on the basis of a decision by the Swedish Parliament and receives a substantial part of its funding in the form of an annual grant from the Swedish Government.