“SIPRI Report” – India Remains the 2nd Largest Arms Importer

“SIPRI Report” – India Remains the 2nd Largest Arms Importer

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released a report titled “Trends in International Arms Transfers Report” 2021. It presents global trends in arms exports and imports.

What is SIPRI?

Stockholm, Sweden based SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade as well as disarmament and arms control.

SIPRI Report

• The 2.6 per cent increase in world military spending came in a year when global gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 4.4 per cent, largely due to the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The volume of international transfers of major arms in 2016–20 was 0.5% lower than in 2011–15 and 12% higher than in 2006–10.
• The five largest arms exporters in 2016–20 were the United States, Russia, France, Germany, and China.
• The five largest arms importers were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia, and China.
• The arms import by Pakistan between 2011–15 and 2016–20 decreased by 23%. China accounted for 61% of its imports in 2011–15 and for 74% in 2016–20.
• Even though military spending rose globally, some countries explicitly reallocated part of their planned military spending to pandemic response, such as Chile and South Korea. Several others, including Brazil and Russia, spent considerably less than their initial military budgets for 2020.

SIPRI Report on India

1. India remains the second largest arms importer after Saudi Arabia.
2. India’s arms imports have decreased by 33 % between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
3. The decrease in arms imports is mainly due to complex and lengthy procurement processes.
4. India is attempting to reduce its dependence on Russian arms by diversifying its network of arms suppliers.

1. India’s top three arms suppliers during 2016-20 were Russia (accounting for 49% of India’s imports), France (18%), and Israel (13%).
2. The US was the 4th largest arms supplier to India. Its imports to India reduced by 46% between 2016-20.

1. India accounted for 0.2% of the share of global arms exports during 2016-20. It makes the country the world’s 24th largest exporter of major arms. Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius are the top recipients of Indian military hardware.