India Remains World’s Second-Largest Arms Importer: SIPRI

On 9th March 2026, according to a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India remained the world’s second-largest importer of major arms during 2021-2025, accounting for 8.2% of global arms imports.

Key Points

Decline In Imports: India’s arms imports fell by 4% compared to the 2016-2020 period, partly due to greater emphasis on domestic defence manufacturing under the Make in India initiative.
Reduced Dependence on Russia: Russia’s share in India’s arms imports declined sharply from 70% in 2011-2015 to 40% in 2021-2025.
New Major Suppliers: France and Israel have increased their share in India’s arms imports to 29% and 15% respectively.
Security Drivers: India’s arms procurement is influenced by the strategic threat from China and tensions with Pakistan, including military confrontations such as Operation Sindoor (2025).
Pakistan’s Arms Imports: Pakistan ranked fifth globally in arms imports during 2021-2025, with 80% of its military equipment sourced from China.
Top Global Importers: The top five arms importers were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, accounting for 35% of global arms imports.
Global Exporters: The United States remained the largest arms exporter with 42% share, followed by France (9.8%) and Russia (6.8%).
Regional Trends: Europe accounted for the largest share of global arms imports (33%), followed by Asia and Oceania (31%) and West Asia (26%), driven largely by the war in Ukraine and rising geopolitical tensions.