India world's largest arms importer

• 14 Mar 2023

As per recent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) data, released on March 13, 2023, India remains the world's largest arms importer for the five-year period between 2018-22, even though its arms imports decreased by 11% compared to the previous period of 2013-17.

• Russia was the largest supplier of arms to India, but its share of total Indian arms imports fell from 64% to 45%, while France emerged as the second-largest supplier.
• India's tensions with Pakistan and China largely drive its demand for arms imports.
• India is making efforts to diversify its arms suppliers and is working towards replacing imports with domestically produced major arms.
• Overall, the U.S. share of global arms exports increased from 33% to 40% while Russia's fell from 22% to 16%.