International arms transfers

SIPRI quantitative and qualitative data on international arms transfers can be found in the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, which contains information on all international transfers of major conventional weapons since 1950 and has been accessible online since March 2007.

The database can be used to tackle the following questions:

• Who are the main suppliers and recipients of major conventional weapons?
• How have the relationships between different suppliers and recipients changed over time?
• Where do countries in conflict get their weapons from?
• How do states implement their export control regulations?
• Where are destabilizing build ups of weapons occurring today?
• What is the relationship between access to natural resources and arms transfers?

The publicly accessible database is updated every spring. A brief overview of highlights of the preceding year and more general trends in international arms transfers is published to coincide with the release of each year’s new dataset. A more detailed discussion is contained in the SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI researchers also produce other publications on the international arms trade.  

The SIPRI arms transfer ‘Research’ pages contain:  

• Information on the official data on the financial value of the international arms trade, under the heading ‘measuring international arms transfers’. This information is also made available in the SIPRI Yearbook.
• Information on international, regional and national mechanisms for reporting on international arms transfers. Under the heading ‘transparency in international arms transfers’ one is introduced to the UN Register of Conventional Arms, EU Annual Reports on arms exports and national reports on arms transfers.
• Information on existing and potential global and regional instruments for controlling and guiding national decisions on arms transfers. Under the heading ‘Controlling international arms transfers’, one can find details of SIPRI’s research on international arms embargoes, the Arms Trade Treaty and the EU Code of Conduct.  

Recent externally-funded research projects have explored:

• The level of public transparency in the international arms trade.
• The evolution of the UN Register of Conventional Arms Transfers (UNROCA).
• Developments in the monitoring and enforcement of international arms embargoes.
• The impact of the EU Code of Conduct on the arms export policies of EU member states.

For information on arms export regulations, please visit the Non-proliferation and Export Control Programme. For information on internships with the Arms Transfers Programme, please click here >>