Iraq: Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Iraq's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) fell 31.3% on 2024 (from 80 million to 55 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2024), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 77% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 298% in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 96.5% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 146.14 million a year. A straight line explains 58% of the movement over 9 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Iraq had the 56th highest value of the 105 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Iraq in the 2025 ranking

• Ethiopia — 53rd of 105: 63 million
• Singapore — 54th of 105: 57 million
• Sudan — 55th of 105: 57 million
• Finland — 57th of 105: 51 million
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 58th of 105: 44 million
• Burkina Faso — 59th of 105: 34 million

What this measures

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.

Limitations: SIPRI calculates the volume of transfers to, from and between all parties using the TIV and the number of weapon systems or subsystems delivered in a given year. This data is intended to provide a common unit to allow the measurement if trends in the flow of arms to particular countries and regions over time. Therefore, the main priority is to ensure that the TIV system remains consistent over time, and that any changes introduced are backdated. SIPRI TIV figures do not represent sales prices for arms transfers.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 52 values

Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 65 million (2021)
• Algeria — 108 million (2025)
• Bahrain — 30 million (2025)
• Djibouti — 0 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 697 million (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 42 million (2024)
• Israel — 537 million (2025)
• Jordan — 34 million (2024)
• Kuwait — 311 million (2025)
• Lebanon — 9 million (2024)

More public sector data for Iraq

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 6.45 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 8.45 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.45% (2025)
• Battle-related deaths (number of people) — 396 (2024)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 459,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 4.4% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.53% (2025)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 60 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 66.53 (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Iraq's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)?

55 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is down 68.75% from 176 million in 1960 (1.77% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 4.58 billion in 1984 and the lowest 5 million in 2020.

How does Iraq rank?

56th highest of 105 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) unusual for Iraq?

In 2025, Iraq's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) fell 31.3% on 2024 (from 80 million to 55 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2024), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 77% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.MPRT.KD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://armstransfers.sipri.org/ArmsTransfer/ Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.