Least developed countries: UN classification's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) was 504 million in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 64.66% from 1.43 billion in 2015 (9.88% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 504 million | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 820 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 1.43 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | 2.67 billion | 1989 |
| Lowest | 134 million | 1961 |
| Average since 2016 | 1.05 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 136 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Least developed countries: UN classification's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) fell 33.3% on 2024 (from 756 million to 504 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1967 to 2024), the average change was +1.7% and a typical year strayed about 36.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 101.5% in 1969 and the biggest yearly fall was 56.2% 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 105.55 million a year. A straight line explains 57% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Least developed countries: UN classification | 504 million | 2025 |
| World | 33.33 billion | 2025 |
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 44 values
| Year | Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 504,000,000 |
| 2024 | 756,000,000 |
| 2023 | 778,000,000 |
| 2022 | 1,038,000,000 |
| 2021 | 691,000,000 |
| 2020 | 820,000,000 |
| 2019 | 1,874,000,000 |
| 2018 | 1,271,000,000 |
| 2017 | 1,192,000,000 |
| 2016 | 1,533,000,000 |
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)
- Iraq — 55 million (2025)
- Israel — 537 million (2025)
- Jordan — 34 million (2024)
- Kuwait — 311 million (2025)
More public sector data for Least developed countries: UN classification
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 17.69 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.24% (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 2.56 million (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.63% (2020)
- Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 7.71% (2025)
- CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2.86 (2025)
- CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2.99 (2025)
- CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Least developed countries: UN classification's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)?
- 504 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 270.59% from 136 million in 1960 (2.04% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.67 billion in 1989 and the lowest 134 million in 1961.
- Is the latest change in arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) unusual for Least developed countries: UN classification?
- In 2025, Least developed countries: UN classification's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) fell 33.3% on 2024 (from 756 million to 504 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1967 to 2024), the average change was +1.7% and a typical year strayed about 36.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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.
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