India again tops global arms imports, Russia main supplier: SIPRI

New Delhi: India has maintained its position as the world's top arms importer, according to a new report from a European think tank. The report also highlights a significant increase in Pakistan's arms imports, particularly from China.

Pakistan has seen a 43% rise in its arms imports, securing the fifth position among the top five arms importers between 2019-23. Approximately 82% of Pakistan's arms imports are sourced from China, states the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks arms sales globally.

While Russia continues to serve as India's primary arms supplier, accounting for 36% of its imports, this marks the first five-year period since 1960–64 where deliveries from Russia (or the Soviet Union before 1991) constitute less than half of India’s arms imports.

With the Union government placing significant emphasis on Atmanirbharata (self-reliance) in military technologies, India's arms imports have slightly decreased to 9.8% of the global arms sales between 2019-23 from the previous double-digit figure of 11% between 2018-22.

The top five arms importers—India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Ukraine and Pakistan—received 35% of all arms imports in the period. States in Asia and Oceania accounted for 37% of all arms imports in 2019–23, followed by states in the Middle East (30%) and Europe (21%).

While border tensions with China and Pakistan largely drive India’s arms import, there has been a distinct change in selecting the vendor with New Delhi preferring to do more arms shopping from Western countries rather than relying on its traditional ally Moscow.

Russia continues to be India’s main supplier, but its share of Indian arms imports has shrunk from 76% in 2009–13 to 58% in 2014–18 and then to 36% in 2019–23. India has instead looked to Western suppliers, most notably France and the USA, and its own arms industry to meet its demand for major arms.

“Such a shift is also visible in India’s new orders, many of which are placed with Western suppliers, and its arms procurement plans, which seemingly do not include any Russian options,” says the SIPRI report.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is intensifying its arms procurement ties with China, with 82% of its arms imports originating from China in the period 2019–23. This is an increase from 69% in 2014–18 and 51% in 2009–13.

China delivered major arms to 40 states in 2019–23, but well over half of its arms exports (61%) went to just one state – Pakistan.

The institute identified 66 arms exporting countries, but India does not figure among the top 25. The USA tops the list of exporting countries, accounting for 42% of global arms exports, followed by France (11%), Russia (11%), China (5.8%) and Germany (5.6%).