Middle income's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) was 12.46 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 15.8% from 14.8 billion in 2015 (1.71% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 12.46 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 9.25 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 14.8 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | 21.78 billion | 1982 |
| Lowest | 5.02 billion | 1963 |
| Average since 2016 | 13.24 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 5.84 billion |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Middle income's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) rose 0.2% on 2024 (from 12.44 billion to 12.46 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.8% and a typical year strayed about 15.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 44.6% in 1971 and the biggest yearly fall was 31.1% in 1998. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 26% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Middle income | 12.46 billion | 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 65 values
| Year | Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 12,464,000,000 |
| 2024 | 12,438,000,000 |
| 2023 | 14,188,000,000 |
| 2022 | 12,915,000,000 |
| 2021 | 10,890,000,000 |
| 2020 | 9,252,000,000 |
| 2019 | 11,764,000,000 |
| 2018 | 14,084,000,000 |
| 2017 | 16,345,000,000 |
| 2016 | 18,039,000,000 |
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 Middle income
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.88% (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 753.26 billion (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 17.48 million (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.69% (2020)
- Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.82% (2024)
- Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 18.01% (2023)
- Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 33.54% (2023)
- Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 4.4% (2023)
- Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue) — 28.52% (2023)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Middle income's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)?
- 12.46 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 113.42% from 5.84 billion in 1960 (1.17% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 21.78 billion in 1982 and the lowest 5.02 billion in 1963.
- Is the latest change in arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) unusual for Middle income?
- In 2025, Middle income's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) rose 0.2% on 2024 (from 12.44 billion to 12.46 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.8% and a typical year strayed about 15.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
- Where does this data come from?
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.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in