Merchants of Death: These countries are the top arms traders in the world

They say guns don't harm people, people harm people. However, data shows those profiting from the arms industry are hardly the same people opening fire or getting shot at.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) runs the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, keeping a record of conventional arms trade around the globe since 1950.

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The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database was last updated on March 11, 2024. According to their latest report, here are the eight biggest gun exporters around the globe.

Spain is mostly known for its sunny beaches, warm people, and terrific food. However, the SIPRI database shows that this Southern European nation exported 2.7% of all firearms traded around the globe between 2014 and 2023.

Spanish newspaper Diario AS reveals that Singapore, Australia, and Turkey are among Spain’s biggest clients in the arms industry.

The United Kingdom surpasses Spain with a stake of 3.7% between the years of 2019 and 2023.

British newspaper The Guardian highlights that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the main destinations for British-made military goods.

Italy, home of Machiavelli and Julius Caesar, is the sixth-largest arms exporter in the world, with the SIPRI database reporting that 4.3% of the world’s weapons.

The land of pizza and olive oil is, after all, home to the famous Beretta, the world’s oldest firearms manufacturer, which is still active.

Germany is the biggest economy in Europe and one of the pillars of the European Union. It’s no surprise that the country is among the top five arms exporters in the world, representing 5.6% of the worldwide total arms trade.

The website Defense News claims that, according to data from the Bundestag, Ukraine is the biggest receiver of German arms, followed by Norway and Hungary. Exports reached their record high in 2023.

Europe doesn’t have a monopoly on the weapons industry. China is the second economy in the world and number four when it comes to arms exports, representing 5.8% of the global market.

The main clients of China are in Asia and Africa, however, some news outlets like the South China Morning Post claim that the country’s arms exports have been in decline due to mixed quality in the past years.

Unsurprisingly, the former heart of the Soviet Union is one of the leading nations regarding arms exports, having 11% of the market.

Ever since the invasion in Ukraine began in February 2022, Russia has faced an astounding 50% drop in exports, due to wartime necessities.

France tied Russia as the second-largest arms exporter in the world, having instead a 47% increase in armas exports since 2019.

According to the website Politico, France has managed to overtake markets that used to be dominated by Russia, such as India, Egypt, and Indonesia.

The United States is, by far, the biggest arms exporter in the world, with an outstanding 42% of all the arms exports around the globe between 2019 and 2023 coming from the country—an 8-point rise from the previous four-year period.

This is unsurprising, given that the United States famously have more firearms per citizen than any other country in the world.

The SIPRI also offers numbers on who the biggest arms importers in the world are, with India at the top of the list. Other countries include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Ukraine, and Pakistan, which paints a concerning picture.

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One can’t help but notice that most arms exporters are developed nations, while buyers tend to be developing countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.