Despite ‘Make-in-India’ focus, India remains 2nd largest arms buyer in world: SIPRI report

NEW DELHI: Despite a slight dip in imports due to govt’s impetus on ‘Make-in-India’ weapons, India remains the world’s second-largest importer of major arms, accounting for 8.2% of the global share between 2021 and 2025, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The report also highlights a sharp decline in New Delhi’s decades-long dependence on Russia for arms supply. Moscow’s share, the report, says has fallen from 70% in 2011-15 to 40% in 2021-25, with France and Israel becoming the big gainers, as their respective shares rising to 29% and 15%. The 4% fall in India’s arms imports compared to 2016-2020 cycle was due to the country’s stress on indigenous weapons. “The decrease can be partly attributed to India’s growing ability to design and produce its own weapons — although there are often substantial delays in domestic production,” the report said.




This trend in Indian imports will continue in the coming years as a series of big-ticket defence deals with western countries are on the cards, including 114 Rafale fighter jets from France (may cost approximately Rs 3.25 lakh crore), six air-independent propulsion (AIP)-equipped conventional submarines from Germany, six additional P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the US, and several deals on missile defence systems and drones with Israel.

The Sipri report also mentioned the May 2025 Operation Sindoor, emphasising that India’s arsenal is mainly driven by the dual threat from China and Pakistan. “In South Asia, the high volume of arms that India imports is largely due to the perceived threat from China and to India's long-running conflict with the main recipient of Chinese arms exports, Pakistan. Imported weapons were used in the 2025 clash between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states,” the SIPRI analyst said.

When it comes to India’s rival Pakistan, its military hardware is majorly sourced from China, with nearly 80% of its arms imports coming from Beijing, according to the report. Pakistan was the fifth largest recipient of major arms globally in 2021-25, up from 10th place in 2016-20. Its arms imports rose by 66% between the two periods, accounting for 4.2% of total global arms imports.

Globally, the report said the top five arms importers in 2021-25 were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, which together accounted for 35% of total arms imports. The report also said there was a rise of 9.2% in arms trade between 2021 and 2025 compared to the 2016-2020 period.

The US remained the world's largest arms exporter, accounting for 42% of global arms exports during the period. France was the second largest exporter with a 9.8% share, while Russia ranked third with 6.8%. The US exported arms to 99 states in 2021–25, including 35 states in Europe, 18 in the Americas, 17 in Africa, 17 in Asia and Oceania and 12 in West Asia.

It said Europe accounted for the largest share of global arms imports for the first time since the 1960s, driven largely by the war in Ukraine and rising security concerns across the region. Europe accounted for 33% of global arms imports, followed by Asia and Oceania at 31% and West Asia at 26%.

Globally also, Russia's share of global arms exports declined sharply from 21% in 2016-20 to 6.8% in 2021-25, mainly due to major drops in exports to countries such as Algeria, China and Egypt.
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