China vs European Union: Arms exports
Arms exports over time
- China
- European Union
How they compare
European Union currently reports 7.83 billion SIPRI trend indicator values against 1.13 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in China, a difference of 6.70 billion SIPRI trend indicator values.
That makes European Union's figure about 6.9 times China's.
Across all 65 years both countries report, European Union has been ahead every year.
China ranks 6th and European Union ranks 1st of 70 countries.
European Union has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | European Union | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 330.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.41 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.08 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | European Union |
| 1970s | 725.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 5.22 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 4.50 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | European Union |
| 1980s | 1.51 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 7.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 5.49 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | European Union |
| 1990s | 829.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 5.16 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 4.33 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | European Union |
| 2000s | 577.60 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 5.65 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 5.08 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | European Union |
| 2010s | 1.66 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 6.07 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 4.41 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | European Union |
| 2020s | 1.68 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 7.93 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 6.25 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | European Union |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher arms exports, China or European Union?
- European Union, at 7.83 billion SIPRI trend indicator values against 1.13 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in arms exports between China and European Union?
- 6.70 billion SIPRI trend indicator values, with European Union ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and European Union?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do China and European Union rank globally for arms exports?
- China ranks 6th and European Union ranks 1st of 70 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Arms transfers (exports) cover the volume of transfers of major arms through sales and gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major conventional weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships. Figures are SIPRI Trend Indicator Values (TIVs). A '0' indicates that the volume of deliveries is between 0 and 0.5 million SIPRI TIV.