India second-largest arms importer after Ukraine; Pakistan relies heavily on China: SIPRI report

Globally, the report said the top five arms importers in 2021-25 were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, which together accounted for 35 per cent of total arms imports.

• India ranked 2nd in arms imports (2021-25) at 8.2%
• India's arms imports down 4%, still reliant on foreign suppliers
• Pakistan's arms imports rose 66 percent, 80 percent from China

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India remained the world’s second-largest importer of major arms between 2021 and 2025, accounting for 8.2 per cent of global arms imports, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

“India was the world's second largest recipient of major arms in 2021-25 with an 8.2 per cent share of total global arms imports. Its arms imports are driven by its tensions with both China and Pakistan. These tensions have regularly led to armed conflict, as they did briefly between India and Pakistan in May 2025, with both sides using imported major arms,” the SIPRI report said.

However, the report noted that India’s total arms imports have declined slightly over the past decade, partly due to growing domestic defence production capabilities.

“Indian arms imports fell by 4.0 per cent between 2016-20 and 2021-25. The decrease can be partly attributed to India's growing ability to design and produce its own weapons--although there are often substantial delays in domestic production,” the report stated.

Despite this progress, the report said India still relies significantly on foreign suppliers for several key defence systems.

“India's recent orders or planned orders--including up to 140 combat aircraft from France and six submarines from Germany--indicate its continued and probably increasing reliance on foreign suppliers,” it said.

Over the past decade, India has gradually shifted its arms procurement away from Russia and towards Western suppliers such as France, Israel and the United States.

“Russia's share of Indian arms imports dropped from 70 per cent in 2011-15 to 51 per cent in 2016-20 and then to 40 per cent in 2021-25,” the report noted.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military imports are now heavily dependent on China. According to the SIPRI report, around 80 per cent of Pakistan’s arms imports came from China during 2021–25.

Pakistan was the fifth-largest recipient of major arms globally during the period, up from tenth place in 2016–20. Its arms imports rose by 66 per cent between the two periods and accounted for 4.2 per cent of total global arms imports.

China remained Pakistan’s main supplier, providing 80 per cent of its imported weapons in 2021–25, up from 73 per cent in 2016–20. SIPRI also noted that although China supplied major arms to 47 countries during the period, 61 per cent of its arms exports went to a single country — Pakistan.

According to SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme senior researcher Siemon Wezeman, concerns about China’s military rise continue to influence defence spending across Asia.

“Fears over China's intentions and its growing military capabilities continue to influence armament efforts in other parts of Asia and Oceania, which often still depend on imported arms,” Wezeman said.

“For example, in South Asia, the high volume of arms that India imports is largely due to the perceived threat from China and to India's long-running conflict with the main recipient of Chinese arms exports, Pakistan. Imported weapons were used in the 2025 clash between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states,” the SIPRI analyst said.

Globally, the report said the top five arms importers in 2021–25 were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, which together accounted for 35 per cent of total arms imports.

The United States remained the world’s largest arms exporter with a 42 per cent share of global exports during the period. France ranked second with a 9.8 per cent share, while Russia was third with 6.8 per cent.

Russia’s share of global arms exports fell sharply from 21 per cent in 2016–20 to 6.8 per cent in 2021–25, mainly due to declining exports to countries such as Algeria, China and Egypt.

The report also found that Europe accounted for the largest share of global arms imports for the first time since the 1960s, largely driven by the war in Ukraine and rising security concerns in the region.

Europe accounted for 33 per cent of global arms imports, followed by Asia and Oceania at 31 per cent and West Asia at 26 per cent.