Arms imports in India
India: Arms imports was 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
Change on year
down 21.7%
World rank
4th
of 173 countries
All-time high
5.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
in 2013
All-time low
396.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1962
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Arms imports in India, 1960–2024
Source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in SIPRI trend indicator values.
Analysis
In 2024, arms imports in India stood at 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values.
The figure is down 21.7% on the previous year and down 63.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arms imports in India peaked at 5.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 2013 and was at its lowest, 396.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, in 1962.
India ranks 4th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Arms imports in India, year by year
| Year | SIPRI trend indicator values | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 544.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | — |
| 1961 | 1.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +110.8% |
| 1962 | 396.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -65.5% |
| 1963 | 681.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +72.0% |
| 1964 | 955.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +40.2% |
| 1965 | 1.09 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +13.7% |
| 1966 | 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -7.3% |
| 1967 | 1.28 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +26.8% |
| 1968 | 1.67 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +30.4% |
| 1969 | 1.51 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -9.0% |
| 1970 | 878.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -42.0% |
| 1971 | 1.88 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +114.4% |
| 1972 | 1.83 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 1.35 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -26.2% |
| 1974 | 1.33 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 1.13 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -14.6% |
| 1976 | 1.94 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +71.3% |
| 1977 | 2.37 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +22.3% |
| 1978 | 1.19 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -49.7% |
| 1979 | 1.20 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 1.77 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +47.5% |
| 1981 | 2.12 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +20.1% |
| 1982 | 2.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +7.2% |
| 1983 | 2.64 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +15.9% |
| 1984 | 2.79 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 3.00 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +7.8% |
| 1986 | 4.25 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +41.5% |
| 1987 | 3.92 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -7.7% |
| 1988 | 3.85 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 3.68 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 2.83 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -23.0% |
| 1991 | 1.87 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -33.9% |
| 1992 | 1.19 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -36.6% |
| 1993 | 735.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -38.1% |
| 1994 | 872.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +18.6% |
| 1995 | 1.40 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +60.1% |
| 1996 | 831.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -40.5% |
| 1997 | 1.68 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +102.2% |
| 1998 | 797.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -52.6% |
| 1999 | 1.23 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +54.0% |
| 2000 | 987.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -19.6% |
| 2001 | 1.18 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +20.0% |
| 2002 | 2.00 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +69.0% |
| 2003 | 2.80 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +39.8% |
| 2004 | 2.24 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -19.9% |
| 2005 | 1.19 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -46.7% |
| 2006 | 1.48 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +23.9% |
| 2007 | 2.28 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +53.9% |
| 2008 | 1.62 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -28.6% |
| 2009 | 1.94 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +19.3% |
| 2010 | 2.89 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +49.3% |
| 2011 | 3.62 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +25.1% |
| 2012 | 4.49 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +24.2% |
| 2013 | 5.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +17.3% |
| 2014 | 3.20 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -39.3% |
| 2015 | 2.72 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -14.9% |
| 2016 | 2.56 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 2.66 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 2.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -24.4% |
| 2019 | 3.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +56.5% |
| 2020 | 2.65 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -15.9% |
| 2021 | 3.94 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +49.0% |
| 2022 | 2.63 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -33.3% |
| 2023 | 1.49 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -43.3% |
| 2024 | 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -21.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, 106.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- India's 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values is above the median for South Asia, which is 8.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, 146.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 396.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.67 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.51 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 878.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.37 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.77 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 4.25 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.34 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 735.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.83 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.77 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 987.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.80 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 5.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.38 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 3.94 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
- 1 Ukraine 5.23 billion SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 2 Poland 1.45 billion SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 3 United States 1.21 billion SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 5 Qatar 1.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 6 Saudi Arabia 1.11 billion SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 7 South Korea 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values compare
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Frequently asked questions
- What is arms imports in India?
- Arms imports in India was 1.17 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 2024, according to Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest arms imports recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 2013.
- What is the lowest arms imports recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 396.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 1962.
- How does India rank for arms imports?
- India ranks 4th out of 173 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arms imports rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.