India vs Japan: Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)
Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) over time
- India
- Japan
How they compare
India currently reports 2.86 billion SIPRI trend indicator values against 1.72 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in Japan, a difference of 1.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values.
That makes India's figure about 1.7 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Japan ahead.
India ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 5th of 174 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, India averaged higher in 6 and Japan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 941.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 647.70 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 294.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | India |
| 1970s | 1.62 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 848.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 767.50 million SIPRI trend indicator values | India |
| 1980s | 3.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.76 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | India |
| 1990s | 1.34 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.70 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 361.60 million SIPRI trend indicator values | Japan |
| 2000s | 1.76 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 560.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.20 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | India |
| 2010s | 3.29 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 473.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.81 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | India |
| 2020s | 2.56 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.39 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher arms imports, India or Japan?
- India, at 2.86 billion SIPRI trend indicator values against 1.72 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in arms imports between India and Japan?
- 1.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Japan?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do India and Japan rank globally for arms imports?
- India ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 5th 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.
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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.