US dominated global arms trade in 2019, India 2nd top importer

NEW DELHI: India was the world's 2nd biggest arms importer in 2019, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The country was in the third spot in terms of total spend on military.

Also in terms of total military spend, India ranked high up at No. 3, behind only US and China. However none of the three biggest spenders were in the top 10 list of military spend taken as a percentage of GDP.

Here's a look at the world's biggest military spenders, arms sellers and buyers, explained in charts.


The US was the most dominant player in arms export, accounting for 36% of the global trade, while the Middle East made its first appearance among the 25 biggest weapons manufacturers during the year.

The total sales by the "top 25" companies, in 2019, rose by 8.5 per cent to $361 billion, equivalent to 50 times the annual budget of the UN's peacekeeping operations.