Arms imports in South Korea
South Korea: Arms imports was 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
Change on year
up 362.8%
World rank
7th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.99 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1996
All-time low
93.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1970
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Arms imports in South Korea, 1960–2024
Source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in SIPRI trend indicator values.
Analysis
In 2024, arms imports in South Korea stood at 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values.
That represents a change of up 362.8% on the previous year and up 36.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arms imports in South Korea peaked at 1.99 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1996 and was at its lowest, 93.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, in 1970.
South Korea ranks 7th 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | SIPRI trend indicator values | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 200.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | — |
| 1961 | 180.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -10.0% |
| 1962 | 132.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -26.7% |
| 1963 | 214.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +62.1% |
| 1964 | 282.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +31.8% |
| 1965 | 632.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +124.1% |
| 1966 | 571.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -9.7% |
| 1967 | 130.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -77.2% |
| 1968 | 352.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +170.8% |
| 1969 | 578.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +64.2% |
| 1970 | 93.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -83.9% |
| 1971 | 243.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +161.3% |
| 1972 | 406.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +67.1% |
| 1973 | 262.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -35.5% |
| 1974 | 450.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +71.8% |
| 1975 | 653.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +45.1% |
| 1976 | 555.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -15.0% |
| 1977 | 1.20 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +115.9% |
| 1978 | 399.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -66.7% |
| 1979 | 1.32 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +231.6% |
| 1980 | 877.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -33.7% |
| 1981 | 872.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 673.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -22.8% |
| 1983 | 496.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -26.3% |
| 1984 | 524.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 764.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +45.8% |
| 1986 | 869.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +13.7% |
| 1987 | 785.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -9.7% |
| 1988 | 1.25 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +59.1% |
| 1989 | 1.85 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +48.0% |
| 1990 | 1.21 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -34.3% |
| 1991 | 921.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -24.1% |
| 1992 | 795.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -13.7% |
| 1993 | 1.02 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +28.8% |
| 1994 | 1.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 1.97 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +91.0% |
| 1996 | 1.99 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 1.23 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -38.0% |
| 1998 | 1.42 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +15.3% |
| 1999 | 1.64 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +15.4% |
| 2000 | 1.40 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -14.5% |
| 2001 | 774.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -44.7% |
| 2002 | 520.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -32.8% |
| 2003 | 754.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +45.0% |
| 2004 | 1.05 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +39.9% |
| 2005 | 803.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -23.9% |
| 2006 | 1.66 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +106.7% |
| 2007 | 1.73 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 1.69 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 798.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -52.8% |
| 2010 | 1.30 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +62.8% |
| 2011 | 1.57 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +20.7% |
| 2012 | 1.08 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -31.3% |
| 2013 | 189.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -82.5% |
| 2014 | 742.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +292.6% |
| 2015 | 268.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -63.9% |
| 2016 | 1.04 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +287.3% |
| 2017 | 962.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 1.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 1.60 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +55.8% |
| 2020 | 1.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -20.7% |
| 2021 | 812.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -36.2% |
| 2022 | 423.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -47.9% |
| 2023 | 218.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -48.5% |
| 2024 | 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +362.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values is above the median for high income countries, which is 148.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, 6.8× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 58.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, 17.4× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arms imports in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +362.8% | 218.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.01 billion SIPRI trend indicator values |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 327.10 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 130.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 632.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1970s | 558.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 93.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.32 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1980s | 895.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 496.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.85 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.32 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 795.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.99 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.12 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 520.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.73 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2010s | 977.80 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 189.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.60 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2020s | 747.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 218.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 4 India 1.17 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
- 8 Australia 983.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 9 Pakistan 982.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 10 Japan 977.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
More public sector data for South Korea
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arms imports in South Korea?
- Arms imports in South Korea was 1.01 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.99 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1996.
- What is the lowest arms imports recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 93.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 1970.
- How does South Korea rank for arms imports?
- South Korea ranks 7th out of 173 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arms imports rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea 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.