Tensions with Russia have caused Europe to upgrade enormously in recent years. According to a recent report by the Stockholm peace research institute SIPRI, arms imports have increased by 47 percent in the period from 2018 to 2022 compared to previous years, and by as much as 65 percent in European NATO countries. The beneficiaries of this development are the US, which further expanded its position as the largest arms exporter.
The share of the United States in global arms exports increased from 33 percent to 40 percent in the period 2018-2022. Between 2018 and 2022, a total of 23 percent of US arms exports went to countries in Europe, compared to 11 percent in the previous four years.
Russian exports fell due to war
Meanwhile, exports from the second largest arms exporting country, Russia, fell from 22 to 16 percent of global exports. The reason for this is that Russia gives priority to supplying its own armed forces. Sanctions against Russia and pressure from the United States and its allies are likely to keep demand for Russian weapons from other countries low, the SIPRI report said.
The third largest trader is France
France is the third largest exporter of military equipment and has increased its share of global arms exports from 7.1 percent in the previous four years to 11 percent in 2018-2022. Almost a third of the 44 percent increase in French arms exports went to India.
India remains the largest recipient of Russian arms, even though the volume of exports fell by 37 percent. In contrast, Russian arms exports increased to China (+39 percent) and Egypt (+44 percent), making them Russia’s second and third largest recipients.
Ukraine third largest importer last year
India remains the world’s largest arms importer, although imports declined over that period. In second place are Saudi Arabia and the tiny emirate of Qatar, which recently increased its arms imports by 311 percent. Australia and China rank fourth and fifth for arms imports. Arms shipments to Ukraine have only skyrocketed since Russia’s offensive war, making the country the world’s third-largest arms importer in 2022. Over the entire period from 2018 to 2022, Ukraine was still in 14th place.
competition in Africa
The main supplier of arms to Africa is Russia. Russia accounted for 40 percent of African arms imports from 2018 to 2022, closely followed by the US (16 percent), China (9.8 percent) and France (7.6 percent). In Sub-Saharan Africa, several arms-exporting countries are vying for influence, according to the report.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
