They are the USA and Russia
STOCKHOLM, March 14. /tass/. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published on Monday a new report on the state of the global arms trade for the period 2017-2021. It notes a slight decrease in its total volume and indicates that the United States and Russia remained the main exporters, although the volume of arms sales to the Russian Federation decreased by 26% compared to the previous five-year period.
According to the report, the drop in the total volume of global arms trade in 2017-2021 compared to 2012-2016 was 4.6%. At the same time, experts note the simultaneous growth of military imports to Europe, East Asia and Oceania.
A significant increase in military exports was observed in the United States and France. Arms imports to Europe increased by 19%, to the East Asian region - by 20%, and to Oceania - by 59%.
"A small reduction in global arms supplies hides large differences in regional trends," says Peter Weseman, Senior researcher at SIPRI. "While there have been some positive developments, including the lowest arms imports in South America in 50 years, the continued high levels of military imports to regions such as Europe, East Asia, Oceania and the Middle East have contributed to a worrisome arms build-up."
Russian exports
Russia, which accounted for 19% of global sales of major weapons in 2017-2021 (second place in the world ranking), in 2017-2021, compared with the period 2012-2016, decreased its figures by 26%. The drop in Russian exports is mainly caused by a reduction in supplies to India and Vietnam. A 60 percent increase in arms exports to China and a 73 percent increase to Egypt could not prevent a general reduction in Russian military exports.
Several major deliveries to India are expected in the coming years, including eight anti-aircraft missile systems, four frigates and one nuclear submarine.
In 2017-2021, Russia supplied weapons to 45 countries. The main volume fell on four countries - India, China, Egypt and Algeria, whose combined share in Russian exports is 73%. In terms of regional distribution, 61% of the export volume came from Asia and Oceania, 20% from the Middle East and 14% from Africa.
The main exports in the period 2017-2021 were combat aircraft (48% of the total volume), followed by engines, mainly aviation (16%), as well as missiles (12%).
The largest suppliers
American exports grew by 14% in 2017-2021 compared to 2012-2016, increasing in global volume from 32% to 39%. In 2017-2021, it more than doubled (by 108%) the volume of military exports of the world's second largest exporter - Russia. 43% of American exports went to the Middle East. A special increase - by 106% - was observed in the sales of basic weapons to Saudi Arabia.
The share of France's military exports in 2017-2021 amounted to 11% of the world volume, which secured it the third place in the world ranking. In 2017-2021, it increased by 59% compared to 2012-2016.
In 2017-2021, China took the fourth place in the rating for arms exports, and Germany took the fifth. The volume of Chinese exports decreased by 31% in 2017-2021 compared to 2012-2016. German exports lost 19%.
Import of weapons
Of all the regions of the world, the largest increase in military supplies was observed in Europe. In 2017-2021, the import of basic weapons here exceeded the 2012-2016 figure by 19% and amounted to 13% of the global volume. The largest importers were the United Kingdom, Norway and the Netherlands.
As for Ukraine, the volume of supplies of basic weapons to this country in 2017-2021 was very limited. "The serious deterioration of relations between the majority of Eastern European countries and Russia has become a serious impetus for increasing arms imports in Europe, especially for countries that cannot fulfill the requirements imposed on them at the expense of the national military industry. Military supplies also play an important role in transatlantic security relations," says Peter Weseman.
Asia and Oceania continued to be the largest region for the import of major weapons. In 2017-2021, they accounted for 43% of the global volume, and six countries in the region - Australia, India, China, Pakistan, South Korea and Japan - were among the top ten largest global importers.
"Tensions between China and many Asian and Oceanic states are the main driving force behind military imports in the region," said Simon Weseman, Senior researcher at SIPRI. - This tension is also a major factor in American exports to the region. The United States is the largest supplier in Asia and Oceania, since military exports are one of the important elements of American foreign policy towards China."
India and the Middle East
India's arms imports decreased by 21% in 2017-2021 compared to 2012-2016. However, the country continued to be the largest military importer in the world and plans large-scale purchases of weapons from a number of suppliers in the coming years.
The countries of the Middle East in 2017-2021 purchased weapons by 2.8% more than in 2012-2016. Against the background of the ongoing military conflict in Yemen and Iran's strained relations with other countries in the region, arms imports played a serious role in ensuring security in the Persian Gulf region.
Purchases by Saudi Arabia - the second largest importer of weapons in the world - increased by 27%. Qatar's imports increased by 227%, which allowed it to rise in the ranking of the leading importers of weapons from the 22nd line to the sixth.
In the UAE, the situation in 2017-2021, compared with 2012-2016, developed in the opposite direction: the volume of military purchases decreased by 41%, as a result of which the Emirates moved from the third place to the ninth in the ranking of importers. All these three countries, as well as Kuwait, have placed large orders for the supply of basic weapons in the coming years.
Other data
Italy's arms exports amounted to 3.1% of the global volume, which is 16% higher than in the period 2012-2016. In 2017-2021, UK exports accounted for 2.9%, which means a decrease of 41% compared to 2012-2016.
In the period 2017-2021, compared with 2012-2016, there was a general reduction in arms imports in the Americas (-36%), in Africa (-34%) and in Asia and Oceania (-4.7%). In 2017-2021, South American arms imports were lower than in any of the five-year periods over the past 50 years. To date, Brazil is the only South American country expecting large arms shipments.
Israel's imports increased by 19% in 2017-2021 compared to 2012-2016. Egypt's arms purchases in the same period increased by 73%, the country ranked third in the world ranking of arms importers.
Myanmar's imports fell in 2017-2021 compared to 2012-2016 by 32% and amounted to 0.6% of the global volume. Taiwan's arms purchases have decreased by 68%, but they are expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
In 2017-2021, the top five arms importers in sub-Saharan Africa included Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mali and Botswana.
