Rapport SIPRI 2026 : Global Arms Market is Rising, But Africa Remains a Mystery
by Cosimo Graziani
Stockholm (Agence Fides) – The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report on the evolution of the arms market for the period 2021-2025 was published on March 9.
This report is one of the most useful tools to understand the international arms market and analyze its changes over the years. This latest edition reflects specifically the changes following the wars in Ukraine, Sudan, and the Middle East, providing an overview of the general deterioration of international relations in recent years.
According to the report, the arms market for the period 2021-2025 increased by 9.2% compared to the previous five years, confirming a rising trend that began during the period 2001-2005.
The continent that increased its imports the most during the period is Europe, where they rose by 210%, influenced by the conflict in Ukraine and the rearmament of European countries. In other regions, the trend is negative: in Africa, imports decreased by 41%, in Asia and Oceania by 20%, and in the Middle East by 13%. Only the Americas saw an increase of 12%.
When considering different countries, Ukraine is the top global importer with a 9.2% share of the total, while the United States is the top supplier with 42%.
Regarding suppliers, Washington has increased its share by nearly a third in recent years: compared to the period 2016-2020, its exports grew by 27%. France and Russia follow, with 9.8% and 6.8% of exports respectively, showing a 21% and -64% variation.
Among the top ten exporting countries, five are European: apart from France and Russia, there are Germany, Italy – which had the highest increase in exports with a 157% rise over five years – the United Kingdom, and Spain.
China, Israel, and South Korea are also among the top ten exporters.
Poland has dominated among countries that increased their exports significantly in recent years. Warsaw only represents 1% of global exports, but compared to the period 2016-2020, its exports grew by 4,387%, with Ukraine being the primary destination, showcasing the country’s new security policy direction.
Looking at importing countries, Ukraine and Poland are in the top ten, with Poland seeing an 852% increase in imports due to its changed foreign policy orientation, along with the United States, four countries from Asia and Oceania, and three Middle Eastern countries.
Africa seems conspicuously absent in these rankings, despite conflicts erupting in countries like Sudan, Tigray, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and deteriorating security in the Sahel region.
Only Morocco and Algeria from Africa are ranked among the top importers, at 28th and 33rd places respectively, with a 12% increase for Morocco and a 78% decrease for Algeria.
The issue of the arms market in Africa highlighted by the report lies in the secretive nature of agreements between suppliers and importers, making precise estimation impossible. This problem concerns deliveries to Algeria, which in recent years entered into a supply agreement with Russia under undisclosed terms, as well as the parties in conflict in the Sudan war.
The secrecy surrounding the arms market in Africa allows for predictions about the future: where political crises exist, the possibility of new wars breaking out cannot be ruled out. (Agence Fides 16/3/2026)
