China vs Germany: Arms exports

China
1.13 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
in 2024
Germany
2.05 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
in 2024
China rank
6th
Germany rank
3rd

Arms exports over time

  • China
  • Germany
01.0B2.0B3.0B196019922024

How they compare

Germany currently reports 2.05 billion SIPRI trend indicator values against 1.13 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in China, a difference of 918.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values.

That makes Germany's figure about 1.8 times China's.

The two have swapped places 19 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was China ahead.

China ranks 6th and Germany ranks 3rd of 70 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Germany in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Germany Difference Ahead
1960s 330.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values 416.30 million SIPRI trend indicator values 86.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values Germany
1970s 725.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values 1.38 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 650.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values Germany
1980s 1.51 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 1.65 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 134.30 million SIPRI trend indicator values Germany
1990s 829.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values 1.85 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 1.02 billion SIPRI trend indicator values Germany
2000s 577.60 million SIPRI trend indicator values 1.87 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 1.29 billion SIPRI trend indicator values Germany
2010s 1.66 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 1.50 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 151.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values China
2020s 1.68 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 1.60 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 80.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher arms exports, China or Germany?
Germany, at 2.05 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 Germany?
918.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do China and Germany rank globally for arms exports?
China ranks 6th and Germany ranks 3rd 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

Indicator
Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values)
Unit
SIPRI trend indicator values
Source
Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
106 places, 3,345 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

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.