The United States is by far the biggest arms dealer on Earth, responsible for 43% of all weapons exports from 2020 to 2024.
The US transferred 7.3 times more weapons than China, and 5.5 times more than Russia.
In fact, Russia’s global arms exports declined by 64% from 2020 to 2024, and China’s fell by 5.4%, whereas those of the US grew by 21%.
There were also large increases in weapons exports during this five-year period in Italy (+138%), Spain (+29%), France (+11%), and South Korea (+4.9%).
This is according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The 10 largest arms exporters from 2020-24 were the following:
- United States (43% of the world)
- France (9.6%)
- Russia (7.8%)
- China (5.9%)
- Germany (5.6%)
- Italy (4.8%)
- United Kingdom (3.6%)
- Israel (3.1%)
- Spain (3.0%)
- South Korea (2.2%)
The top 10 importers of weapons from 2020-24 were the following:
- Ukraine (8.8% of the world)
- India (8.3%)
- Qatar (6.8%)
- Saudi Arabia (6.8%)
- Pakistan (4.6%)
- Japan (3.9%)
- Australia (3.5%)
- Egypt (3.3%)
- United States (3.1%)
- Kuwait (2.9%)
European arms purchases and military spending skyrocket
Weapons imports in Europe more than doubled from 2020-24, and 64% of these arms came from the US.
During his first term as US president, Donald Trump demanded that European members of NATO increase defense spending to 2% of GDP.
23 of the 32 NATO members did devote at least 2% of GDP to military expenditure as of 2024.
However, in his second term, Trump has moved the goalposts, and he is now ordering European members of NATO to boost defense spending to a staggering 5% of GDP.
The European Commission announced a plan in March to loan €150 billion to EU member states to buy military equipment.
Trump knows that an increase in European arms spending will boost demand for weapons and ammunition produced by the US military-industrial complex, and he hopes it can help reduce the enormous US current account deficit (that is, its trade deficit with the rest of the world).
https://t.co/HQ6uMiElj4 Two-thirds of arms imports to Nato countries in Europe come from US pic.twitter.com/eAxpEmAXQi
— Valentina Pop (@valentinapop) March 10, 2025
USA is world’s top military spender, by far
In addition to exporting more weapons than any other nation, the United States spends the most on its military, by far.
The US represented 37% of global military expenditure in 2023, according to the most recently available data from SIPRI.
This means that the US dedicated more money to its armed forces than the next nine largest spenders combined.
The US spent three times more on its military than China, and eight times more than Russia.
The 15 countries with the biggest defense budgets in 2023 were the following:
- United States (37% of the world)
- China (12%)
- Russia (4.5%)
- India (3.4%)
- Saudi Arabia (3.1%)
- United Kingdom (3.1%)
- Germany (2.7%)
- Ukraine (2.7%)
- France (2.5%)
- Japan (2.1%)
- South Korea (2.0%)
- Italy (1.5%)
- Australia (1.3%)
- Poland (1.3%)
- Israel (1.1%)
JonnyJames
2025-03-13 at 10:25
The numbers on US “defense” spending do not include additional appropriations from Congress and military aid packages. It usually only includes the annual DoD budget. The numbers for any given year are much higher. The $880 or so billion is only the baseline number
The (in)famous US economist, Paul Krugman, says that the US needs to spend MORE on defense and that the Military Indusrial Complex (what Ray McGovern calls MICIMATT) does not exist. No wonder he has a regular column in the New York Times eh.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/11/07/paul-krugman-dismisses-the-existence-of-a-military-industrial-complex/
Eric Arthur Blair
2025-03-13 at 16:30
Tru dat.
I believe the official figures for US “defense” spending do not include the multi billions allocated to nuclear weapons maintenance and upgrading (hidden under department of energy spending) nor does it include the billions spent on trying to fix physically and mentally damaged veterans of the US forever wars.
What will force the evil empire to abandon such crazy warmongering behaviour?
Dedollarization.
Eric Arthur Blair
2025-03-13 at 22:04
Egypt buys J-10CE fighter jets from China instead of upgrading F16s
https://youtu.be/y1fAMLK5SY4?si=fyp4eQ_pPIqZAQRc
JonnyJames
2025-03-14 at 13:32
It would be interesting to know if Egypt paid with USD.
Eric Arthur Blair
2025-03-14 at 22:25
Good question. My hunch is that China is increasingly demanding payment in Yuan or in the form of resources/commodities, perhaps combined with unique host country credits eg credit for X number of transits for Chinese shops through Suez.
Apparently the reason Egypt decided to essentially mothball its F16 squadrons is the fact that the US refused to supply Egypt with BVR (beyond visual range) missiles which Israel has been given.
https://youtu.be/nLuli-Ts-HA?si=1v5GeaM79HKkg1GS
Maybe Egypt can sell their 200 obsolete F16s to the Ukies for a super cheap discount of USD $200 billion, or maybe in exchange for the $500 billion “raw” earth’s Zel promised to both the US and US.
Eric Arthur Blair
2025-03-14 at 22:28
*Chinese ships.
The shops are not buoyant enough.
Eric Arthur Blair
2025-03-15 at 18:02
Canada reviews F35 deal
https://youtu.be/8mBOmP-oNg4?si=4CZ8cLZhj9HYCkaX