SIPRI report finds US largest arms exporter, Saudi largest importer

A new report published yesterday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has found that the US accounted for 37% of global arms sales in the period 2016-2020, selling weapons to 96 countries. Half of the total sales went to the Middle East.

The report also found that exports increased by 15% when compared with 2011-2015.

In the period 2016-2020, international arms deliveries were flat, marking the first time since 2001-2005 that arms deliveries between countries did not increase from the previous five year period.

Three of the world's biggest exporters - the US, Germany and France - increased deliveries but falls in exports from Russia and China offset that rise, SIPRI said.

Russia is the world's second-largest exporter of arms, in terms of volume with France coming in third, the report found.

The Middle Eastern nations accounted for that largest increase in arms imports - up 25% from 2011-2015.

The world's biggest importer of arms, Saudi Arabia, increased imports by 61%, with Qatar increasing by 361%

SIPRI said that it was too soon to know whether the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the slowdown of arms deliveries. 

"The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could see some countries reassessing their arms imports in the coming years. However, at the same time, even at the height of the pandemic in 2020, several countries signed large contracts for major arms," said Siemon Wezeman, a researcher at SIPRI.

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