SIPRI report: Europe’s arms imports have almost doubled since 2019

The peace researchers at SIPRI are recording significantly more arms imports into Europe. The USA remains the main exporter. Russia is no longer in second place, but France. Big buyer: Ukraine.

European countries have almost doubled their arms imports. This emerges from the report by SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute). Peace researchers always compare five-year periods. In the years 2019 to 2023, the need for weapons was particularly great in European countries. On the one hand, this is due to the extensive deliveries to Ukraine.

Ukraine ranks fourth in the world among countries that have imported the most weapons. But that alone does not explain the increase in European imports, says Pieter Wezeman from SIPRI. “Over the past decade, we have seen Europe’s perception of the Russian threat explode.”

All European states have come to the conclusion that they need to expand their military capacities, said the scientist. This meant they had to both buy and import weapons. “Most European countries do not have their own comprehensive arms industry.”

France second largest for the first time arms exporter

There is also a clear change in arms exports. The USA is still at the top, but France is no longer in second place, but France. The country was able to increase its exports by 47 percent between 2019 and 2023 – compared to the previous five-year period. At the same time, Russia has slipped to third place due to significantly fewer exports.

“There has also been significant demand for weapons outside Europe and many countries have chosen to buy from France rather than Russia,” said SIPRI’s Wezeman. “This can have both political and technical reasons. China, for example, is now able to produce its own weapons of satisfactory quality and no longer needs Russian imports.”

Germany is in fifth place among the world’s largest arms exporters. Some of the weapons produced here remain in Europe – but by far not all, says Wezeman from SIPRI. “Egypt has purchased a whole series of frigates and submarines from Germany. And Israel has also purchased ships and engines for tanks from Germany in recent years.” Singapore is also an important customer, with first submarine deliveries in 2023.

Global growth low

A look at the global development of the arms trade shows: Overall, the global increase in imports between 2019 and 2023 is low and is only three percent. The regions with the most arms imports are Asia and Oceania. The background here is tensions between China on the one hand and Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore on the other, according to the SIPRI researcher. This is followed by the Middle East and Europe.

Arms trafficking has both an economic and a political dimension. Because where you sell or who you import from – that is closely linked to your own foreign policy orientation. There is a lot of discussion in Europe about having its own weapons industry with few dependencies – but that is more of a thing of the future, according to SIPRI researcher Wezeman.

“Europe will not decouple from the USA overnight”

“Many European countries have invested heavily in weapons from the USA. And weapons have a very long lifespan,” says Wezeman. If you buy an “F-35” fighter jet from the USA now, it will remain in service for the next 20 or 30 years. “Europe will not decouple from the USA overnight, as far as we can currently see.”

SIPRI is an independent peace research institute based in Stockholm. Analysts have been regularly publishing data on arms transfers, military spending and nuclear warheads since the late 1960s. The research is financed by the Swedish state.