Transparency in international Arms Transfers

Official and publicly accessible data on arms transfers are important for assessing states' arms export and arms procurement policies. However, publishing data on arms sales and acquisitions is a sensitive issue for nearly all states. By providing official information on international arms transfers, the parliament and the general public are given the opportunity to monitor a government’s compliance with its national and international legal obligations regarding the prevention of conflict, human rights violations and, to a degree, illicit arms transfers.

SIPRI researchers within the arms transfers programme have analysed developments relating to the transparency of international arms transfers in the SIPRI Yearbook and other publications. They have also sought to bring together all national, regional and international reporting mechanisms in one place. These reports can be accessed in the pages below.

These include the EU Annual Report, national reports on arms exports, and other sources of data on international arms transfers. Information is also provided on the UN Register.