March 14, 2023
2 mins read

India remains world’s top arms importer

It said France’s arms exports increased by 44 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22 and most of these exports were to countries in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East…reports Asian Lite News

India remained the world’s top arms importer, but its imports declined by 11 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22, according to a report released on Monday by Stockholm-based defence think-tank SIPRI.

The decline was linked to a complex procurement process, efforts to diversify arms suppliers and attempts to replace imports with local designs, the report said.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said the five largest arms importers in the world during 2018-22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China.

The five largest arms exporters were the United States, Russia, France, China and Germany.

The imports by Pakistan, the world’s eighth-largest arms importer during 2018-22, increased by 14 per cent, with China as its main supplier, the report said.

It said France’s arms exports increased by 44 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22 and most of these exports were to countries in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East.

The report said India received 30 per cent of France’s arms exports during 2018-22 and France displaced the US as the second-largest supplier of arms to India after Russia.

“France is gaining a bigger share of the global arms market as Russian arms exports decline, as seen in India for example,” said Pieter D Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.

“This seems likely to continue as by the end of 2022, France had far more outstanding orders for arms exports than Russia,” he said.

The report compared two five-year periods and noted that Russian arms supplies to India are declining.

It said the United States’ share of global arms exports increased from 33 to 40 per cent, while Russia’s fell from 22 to 16 per cent.

“Even as arms transfers have declined globally, those to Europe have risen sharply due to the tensions between Russia and most other European states,” said Wezeman.

“Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European states want to import more arms, faster. Strategic competition also continues elsewhere: arms imports to East Asia have increased and those to the Middle East remain at a high level,” he added.

The report said three of the top 10 importers during 2018-22 were in the Middle East — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.

Saudi Arabia was the world’s second-largest arms importer during 2018-22 and received 9.6 per cent of all arms imports in the period, it said.

Qatar’s arms imports increased by 311 per cent between 2013-17 and 2018-22, making it the world’s third-biggest arms importer during 2018-22, it added.

ALSO READ-UK backs India for permanent UNSC seat

Previous Story

US must treat India’s G20 presidency as wake-up for its future

Next Story

23 out of 55 defence research body projects missed deadlines

Latest from -Top News

Zero Tariffs? Trump Claims Big Win Over India

Trump Claims India to Eliminate Tariffs on U.S. Imports..reports Asian Lite News U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that India has either already removed or is in the process of removing

UNSC Grills Pakistan Over Pahalgam Attack

Though Pakistan claimed that the meeting largely served and achieved the objectives of the UNSC’s meeting, reports showed that it flopped miserably…reports Asian Lite News The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reportedly

Pakistan’s Terror Link “No Secret”: Bilawal Bhutto

Zardari stated that Pakistan’s intelligence services have since changed course and no longer collaborate with extremist elements..reports Asian Lite News Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, has openly acknowledged Pakistan’s

Islamists Rise Under Yunus Rule

After the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, Islamic parties in Bangladesh, crushed for years by the Awami League government, have made inroads into the political arena…writes Baidya
Go toTop

Don't Miss

‘Fund released for farmers was due month ago’

Congress argued that Modi’s announcement, hailed as his first major

London police under scanner over attack on Indian High Commission

The police had deployed forces in 24 buses as well