China vs South Korea: Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)
Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) over time
- China
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 222.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values against 207.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in China, a difference of 15.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was China ahead.
China ranks 37th and South Korea ranks 36th of 174 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 546.70 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 313.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 232.90 million SIPRI trend indicator values | China |
| 1970s | 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 562.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 545.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | South Korea |
| 1980s | 51.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 890.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 839.30 million SIPRI trend indicator values | South Korea |
| 1990s | 865.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.31 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 444.60 million SIPRI trend indicator values | South Korea |
| 2000s | 2.48 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.12 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | China |
| 2010s | 1.35 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 977.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 376.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | China |
| 2020s | 468.67 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 663.17 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 194.50 million SIPRI trend indicator values | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher arms imports, China or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 222.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values against 207.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in arms imports between China and South Korea?
- 15.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Korea?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do China and South Korea rank globally for arms imports?
- China ranks 37th and South Korea ranks 36th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Arms imports (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 (imports) 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.