Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) in North America
North America: Arms imports was 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
Change on year
up 56.5%
Rank
25th
of 45 groups
All-time high
2.78 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1987
All-time low
325.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1967
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Arms imports in North America, 1960–2024
Source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in SIPRI trend indicator values.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arms imports in North America is 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 56.5% on the previous year and up 55.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arms imports in North America peaked at 2.78 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1987 and was at its lowest, 325.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, in 1967.
North America ranks 25th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Arms imports in North America, year by year
| Year | SIPRI trend indicator values | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 352.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | — |
| 1961 | 1.77 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +404.0% |
| 1962 | 1.46 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -17.9% |
| 1963 | 1.29 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -11.1% |
| 1964 | 1.10 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -15.1% |
| 1965 | 733.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -33.4% |
| 1966 | 395.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -46.1% |
| 1967 | 325.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -17.7% |
| 1968 | 398.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +22.5% |
| 1969 | 566.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +42.2% |
| 1970 | 661.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +16.8% |
| 1971 | 1.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +56.6% |
| 1972 | 1.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +10.6% |
| 1973 | 734.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -35.9% |
| 1974 | 815.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +11.0% |
| 1975 | 583.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -28.5% |
| 1976 | 552.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -5.3% |
| 1977 | 474.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -14.1% |
| 1978 | 499.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 446.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -10.6% |
| 1980 | 822.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +84.3% |
| 1981 | 985.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +19.8% |
| 1982 | 525.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -46.7% |
| 1983 | 1.11 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +111.8% |
| 1984 | 1.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -6.9% |
| 1985 | 1.50 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +45.1% |
| 1986 | 1.27 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -15.5% |
| 1987 | 2.78 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +119.1% |
| 1988 | 2.50 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -10.1% |
| 1989 | 1.82 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -27.2% |
| 1990 | 520.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -71.4% |
| 1991 | 1.28 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +146.5% |
| 1992 | 947.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -26.1% |
| 1993 | 1.16 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +22.9% |
| 1994 | 1.42 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +22.3% |
| 1995 | 1.21 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -14.7% |
| 1996 | 1.02 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -16.0% |
| 1997 | 963.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 372.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -61.4% |
| 1999 | 364.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 863.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +137.1% |
| 2001 | 1.03 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +19.1% |
| 2002 | 934.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -9.1% |
| 2003 | 771.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -17.5% |
| 2004 | 937.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +21.5% |
| 2005 | 688.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -26.6% |
| 2006 | 803.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 1.32 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +64.4% |
| 2008 | 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 1.04 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -23.3% |
| 2010 | 1.20 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 1.29 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 1.35 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 969.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -28.2% |
| 2014 | 876.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 882.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 685.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -22.3% |
| 2017 | 850.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | +24.1% |
| 2018 | 548.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -35.5% |
| 2019 | 1.08 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +96.5% |
| 2020 | 1.05 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 1.25 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +19.8% |
| 2022 | 936.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -25.3% |
| 2023 | 868.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | -7.3% |
| 2024 | 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | +56.5% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arms imports in North America 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | +404.0% | 352.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.77 billion SIPRI trend indicator values |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 839.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 325.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.77 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1970s | 694.40 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 446.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.15 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.44 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 525.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 2.78 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1990s | 927.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 364.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.42 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2000s | 974.60 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 688.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2010s | 973.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 548.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.35 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.09 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 868.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 5 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 22 Denmark 427.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 23 Turkmenistan 382.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 24 Turkey 381.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 25 Netherlands 360.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 26 Norway 349.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 27 Singapore 348.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 28 Slovakia 298.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
More public sector data for North America
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.56 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 56.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 2,692 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0325 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.03 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 48.39 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per square kilometre 52,589 current USD per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arms imports in North America?
- Arms imports in North America was 1.36 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 2.78 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1987.
- What is the lowest arms imports recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 325.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 1967.
- How does North America rank for arms imports?
- North America ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is arms imports rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America 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.