Global arms flows grew by 9.2% during the past five years and the US was the world’s biggest weapons supplier, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported.

The US accounted for 42% of all global arms transfers in the 2021-2025 period. France was the second-largest arms supplier, with a 9.8% share, followed by Russia (6.8%), Germany (5.7%) and China (5.6%). Collectively, the top five suppliers accounted for about 70 per cent of the total arms transfer volume.

Italy was ranked sixth (5.1%), followed by Israel (4.4%), UK (3.4%), South Korea (3%), and Spain (2.3%). Over half of Italy’s exports went to the Middle East.

Iran ranked 25th (0.3%), supplying its domestically produced weapon systems largely to Russia, Venezuela and the Houthi rebels. The US, the largest global economy which has the world’s biggest military and firepower, is currently embroiled alongside Israel in a war with Iran.

Ukraine was the world’s largest recipient of major arms during 2021-2025, accounting for 9.7% of total global imports. That was a significant leap from 0.1% in the previous five-year period amid the Russia-Ukraine war that has now entered its fifth year.

India (8.2%), Saudi Arabia (6.8%), Qatar (6.4%) and Pakistan (4.2%) rounded up the top five arms importers. Kuwait was ninth (2.8%), while the UAE came in at 11th with 2.7% of the total share.

The presence of Gulf nations among the top importers shows the continued build-up of their military capabilities amid escalating conflicts in the region.

The US was the largest supplier to countries in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), accounting for 77% of Saudi Arabia’s arms imports, 48% of Qatar’s, 62% of Kuwait’s and 42% of the UAE’s. France is also a major supplier to the Gulf countries.

However, overall imports by Middle East countries dropped by 13% between 2021 and 2025, compared with the previous five-year period, the study showed. UAE arms imports declined by 15% between 2016-2020 and 2021-2025.

Revenue from the sale of arms and military services by the 100 largest arms-producing companies hit a record $69 billion in 2024, a 5.9% annual increase, SIPRI said in December.

In that year, nine of the top 100 companies were based in the Middle East, collectively generating $31 billion in revenue, SIPRI said.

The United States exported arms to 99 countries in 2021-2025, including 35 states in Europe, 18 in the Americas, 17 in Africa, 17 in Asia and Oceania and 12 in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest oil producer, was the main recipient of US weapons, accounting for about 12%. For the first time in two decades, Europe overtook the Middle East as the primary destination for US arms receiving 38% of US exports.

Meanwhile, Morocco has become the largest arms importer in Africa, according to SIPRI. The country increased its arms imports by 12% between the 2016-2020 and 2021-2025 periods, ranking 28th globally with a 1% share of total global arms imports.

The United States supplied 60% of Morocco’s arms imports during 2021-2025. Israel was the second largest supplier at 24%, followed by France at 10%. As of the end of 2025, Morocco had pending arms imports from several states, including Spain and the United States.

Long the continent’s dominant arms buyer, Algeria saw its imports collapse by 78% over the same period. The country dropped to 33rd globally with a 0.9% share of global imports. Russia remained Algeria’s top supplier at 39%, followed by China at 27% and Germany at 18%. Algeria’s imports had reached a peak during 2016-2020 before the sharp decline.

SIPRI noted that the long-running tensions between Morocco and Algeria remain a major driver of both countries’ arms imports. However, the institute cautioned that Algeria is often secretive about its arms deals. Several unverified reports about arms agreements with Russia during 2021-2025 suggest SIPRI’s estimates for Algeria may be on the low side.

Across the African continent, arms imports fell by 41% between the two periods. The main suppliers to the region were the United States at 19%, China at 17%, Russia at 15%, and France at 8.3%.