War Escalates: 99 Nations Queue to Purchase American Weapons, Is Indonesia Included?

Jakarta — Global arms trade has surged amid a world increasingly shadowed by conflict. This increase occurs as the Russia-Ukraine war, which erupted in 2022, remains unresolved, whilst tensions in the Middle East have resurfaced following conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

This situation has driven increased demand among many nations for defence systems, and the impact is now clearly visible in global arms trade.

According to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global arms transfer volume in the 2021-2025 period rose 9.2 per cent compared to 2016-2020. SIPRI describes this increase as the largest since 2011-2015, or the highest in the past decade.

The United States Remains the World’s Largest Arms Exporter

Amid the global surge in arms trade, the United States remains the world’s largest arms exporter. During the 2021-2025 period, the US share of global arms exports reached 42 per cent of total global exports.

This figure increased from 36 per cent during the 2016-2020 period. SIPRI also noted that US arms exports increased by 27 per cent compared to the previous period, confirming that Washington’s position remains highly dominant in the global arms market.

The US dominance appears even stronger as its share exceeds that of several other major exporters combined.

During the 2021-2025 period, the US exported weapons to 99 nations, with Europe becoming the largest destination for the first time in two decades.

Ranked by market share, the world’s largest arms exporters during 2021-2025 besides the US include France with 9.8 per cent, Russia with 6.8 per cent, Germany with 5.7 per cent, and China with 5.6 per cent.

Italy follows with 5.1 per cent and Israel with 4.4 per cent. This data demonstrates that the US remains far ahead of other nations in global arms exports.

From this perspective, the most interesting story is not just US dominance, but also changes among other exporters.

France maintains its strong second position, whilst Russia faces severe pressure. Russia’s export share dropped sharply from 21 per cent during 2016-2020 to just 6.8 per cent during 2021-2025. Meanwhile, Germany and China remain in mid-tier positions but lag far behind the US.

The World’s Largest Importer Shifts from the Middle East to Europe

Another major change is visible from the perspective of arms buyers or importers. Whilst the Middle East previously served as the centre of global arms imports, this position has now shifted to Europe.

SIPRI noted that during 2021-2025, Europe became the region with the largest arms import share globally, accounting for 33 per cent of the total. This marks the first time since the 1960s that Europe has held this position. By comparison, Asia and Oceania ranks second with 31 per cent, whilst the Middle East has dropped to 26 per cent.

This shift occurred because arms imports among European nations surged dramatically by 210 per cent compared to the 2016-2020 period.

Meanwhile, arms imports in the Middle East actually declined by 13 per cent during the same period. Thus, the centre of global arms demand has indeed shifted from a region long associated with conflict such as the Middle East, to Europe, which is substantially increasing its defence expenditure due to the Ukraine war and growing threats from Russia.

Looking at individual nations, the world’s largest arms importers during 2021-2025 are Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan. These five nations collectively absorb 35 per cent of total global arms imports.

Ukraine ranks first with a 9.7 per cent share, followed by India at 8.2 per cent, Saudi Arabia at 6.8 per cent, Qatar at 6.4 per cent, and Pakistan at 4.2 per cent.

Ukraine’s position is certainly most striking. This nation became the world’s largest arms importer during 2021-2025, despite its share being only 0.1 per cent of total global imports during 2016-2020.

This surge signals a genuine shift in the direction of the global arms market.

Besides Ukraine, significant increases are also evident in Qatar and Pakistan, but Ukraine’s surge remains the most prominent as it directly propelled Europe to the top position as the world’s largest importing region.

In other words, the latest SIPRI report reveals two major changes simultaneously. From the seller’s perspective, the United States remains the most dominant player in the global arms market.

From the buyer’s perspective, the centre of imports has now shifted to Europe, driven by the Ukraine war and increasing security concerns in the region. In a world increasingly filled with conflict, the map of global arms trade has shifted accordingly.