China vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)
Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) over time
- China
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) currently reports 583.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values against 207.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in China, a difference of 376.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values.
That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s figure about 2.8 times China's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1960 it was China ahead.
China ranks 37th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 34th of 174 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 501.67 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 528.22 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 26.56 million SIPRI trend indicator values | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1970s | 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.55 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.53 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1980s | 51.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.74 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.69 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1990s | 689.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 408.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 280.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values | China |
| 2000s | 2.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 843.67 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.31 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | China |
| 2010s | 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 976.29 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 190.57 million SIPRI trend indicator values | China |
| 2020s | 427.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 639.67 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 212.67 million SIPRI trend indicator values | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher arms imports, China or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), at 583.00 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 376.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, with Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do China and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for arms imports?
- China ranks 37th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 34th 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.