According to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), international arms transfers increased by 9.2% between 2021 and 2025. Apart from the war in Ukraine, Asia remains at the core of global demand, mainly driven by the India-Pakistan rivalry and tensions with China. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait also rank among the top.

Milan (Asia News) – Apart from Ukraine, Asia still remains at the center of global demand. This is the conclusion of the latest SIPRI report analyzing international arms transfers between 2021 and 2025.

The study shows that global inter-state arms transfers increased by 9.2% compared to the previous five years, marking the largest increase since 2011–2015. Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan are the main arms importers, accounting for about 35% of global arms imports together.

Ukraine's top position is directly related to the Russia-Ukraine war, while the rest of the rankings highlight the central role of Asia and the Middle East in the arms race. During 2021–2025, Asian countries accounted for 31% of global arms imports, second only to European countries.

Four of the world's top ten arms importers are Asian countries: India, Pakistan, Japan, and Australia. The region's military demand is driven by the India-Pakistan rivalry, India-China tensions, and Beijing's confrontation with other East Asian countries.

Between 2021 and 2025, India was the second-largest importer of heavy weapons in the world, accounting for 8.2% of global imports. Delhi's arms procurement is a product of the tensions among India, Pakistan, and China, which have triggered armed conflicts over the past few decades, the most recent occurring in May last year.

Nevertheless, India's imports decreased by 4% compared to the previous five years from 2016 to 2020, mainly due to India's growing ability to design and produce weapons domestically, although it often faces significant delays, forcing India to continue relying on foreign suppliers.

From 2021 to 2025, Russia remained the largest arms exporter, accounting for 40% of India's arms supply, followed by France (29%) and Israel (15%). However, India has significantly reduced its reliance on Moscow, dropping from 70% between 2011 and 2015 to 51% between 2016 and 2020, and further to 40% in recent years. According to completed orders, 140 French fighter jets and six German submarines will soon be delivered to India.

Pakistan is the fifth-largest arms importer in the world, accounting for 4.2% of global imports, climbing five places in the global arms trade ranking. Between 2016-2020 and 2021-2025, Pakistan's arms imports increased by 66%, with approximately 80% coming from China.

Therefore, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) emphasizes that the competition between India and Pakistan - two nuclear-armed countries - remains the main factor driving militarization in South Asia.

In other parts of Asia, arms import trends vary. Overall, between 2016-2020 and 2021-2025, arms imports in East Asia decreased by 31%, Oceania by 28%, and Southeast Asia by 30%. These figures do not indicate that disarmament processes are advancing, but rather reflect the increasing capability of some countries to independently develop and produce heavy weapon systems, especially South Korea and China. Since 1991–1995, both countries have fallen out of the list of the world's top ten arms importers for the first time. Compared to five years ago, their imports have dropped by 72%.

However, Japan is a notable exception: its arms imports increased by 76%, rising from 11th to 6th place in the global arms import rankings over the past decade. In other regions, Taiwan's arms imports increased by 54%, although its share in the global market remains limited, accounting for only 0.8% of global imports.

In Southeast Asia, Indonesia is the largest importer of heavy weapons, accounting for 1.5% of global imports, followed by the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Regional conflicts continue to affect arms demand: in recent armed conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand, both countries used imported weapons. Phnom Penh used multi-barrel rocket launchers imported from China, while Bangkok used fighter jets purchased from Sweden and the United States, equipped with guided bombs made in South Korea.

Although the Middle East differs dynamically from other regions, it remains one of the main centers of global arms demand. Despite a 13% decrease in arms imports between 2016-2020 and 2021-2025, three Middle Eastern countries ranked among the world's top ten arms importers: Saudi Arabia (third), Qatar (fourth), and Kuwait (ninth).

Saudi Arabia remains one of the world's largest arms buyers, accounting for 6.8% of global imports, although its imports decreased by 31% between 2016-2020 and 2021-2025. By contrast, Qatar's arms imports saw a significant increase (+106%), while Kuwait rose from 47th to 9th globally, an increase of over 800%. More than half of the weapons imported by countries in the region come from the United States, accounting for as much as 54%, followed by Italy (12%), France (11%), and Germany (7.3%).

Regional conflicts, such as the wars waged by Israel and the US against Iran, affect arms demand. Over the past five years, Tel Aviv mainly relied on imported weapons, while Tehran depended on domestic missiles. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Israel's arms imports increased by 12% between 2021 and 2025, making it the 14th largest arms importer in the world. The main suppliers remain Washington, accounting for 68%, followed by Berlin, accounting for 31%.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7616181729287553582/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.