Dr Nan Tian

Programme Director

Dr Nan Tian

Nan Tian is a Senior Researcher and Programme Director of the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. He joined SIPRI in October 2016 and has been responsible for monitoring and managing the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. His research work at SIPRI includes issues related to the trends if global military expenditure, the demand and consequences of military spending and the transparency and budgeting on military-related matters. Nan’s work also involves assessing and analysing trends in the global arms industry. His other research interests include the causes and impact of civil conflict and the inter-links between conflict and military spending. His doctoral thesis is titled 'Military Spending, Conflict and Development' and explores the relationship between military spending, civil conflict and economic development.

Subject expertise

Military expenditure, civil war, economic growth, climate change

Regional expertise

Africa

CONTACT Dr Nan Tian

Languages

English, Mandarin

Education

PhD in Economics, University of Cape Town, South Africa

SIPRI COMMENTARY

Military spending and development aid after the invasion of Ukraine (Topical backgrounder, January 2024 )
Is it time to reassess national security spending? (Blog, October 2023 )
The proposed hike in Japan’s military expenditure (Topical backgrounder, January 2023 )
Improving transparency in military spending through disaggregated information (Topical backgrounder, August 2022 )
20 years of US military aid to Afghanistan (Topical backgrounder, September 2021 )

SIPRI AND PARTNER PUBLICATIONS

Liang, X., Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D., Scarazzato, L., Karim, K. and Guiberteau Ricard, J., Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2024 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2025)
Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D., Liang, X. and Scarazzato, L., Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2023 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2024)
Scarazzato, L., Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D., Liang, X. and Djokic, K., The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2023 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2024)
Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D., Liang, X., Scarazzato, L., Béraud-Sudreau, L. and Assis, A., Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2022 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2023)
Liang, X., Scarazzato, L., Béraud-Sudreau, L., Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D., Choi, Y. and Kristjan Sild, E., The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2022 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2023)
Using Taxation to Fund Military Spending (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2023)
Lopes Da Silva, D., Tian, N., Béraud-Sudreau, L., Marksteiner, A. and Liang, X., Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2021 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2022)
Béraud-Sudreau, L., Liang, X., Lopes da Silva, D., Tian, N. and Scarazzato, L., The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2021 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2022)
Lopes da Silva, D., Tian, N. and Marksteiner, A. , Pathways for Reducing Military Spending in Post-civil Conflict Settings (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2022)
Wezeman, P. et al., A Practical Guide to State Participation in the UN Report on Military Expenditures (SIPRI, Stockholm: September 2022)
Lopes da Silva, D., Tian, N. and Marksteiner, A., Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2020 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2021)
Marksteiner, A., Béraud-Sudreau, L., Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D. and Kuimova, A., The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2020 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2021)
Nan, T. and Su, F., A New Estimate of China’s Military Expenditure (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2021)
Tian, N., Kuimova, A., Lopes da Silva, D., Wezeman, P. D. and Wezeman, S. T., Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2020)
Tian, N. and Lopes da Silva, D., Military Spending and Official Development Assistance in Recipient States: Is there a Relationship? (SIPRI, Stockholm: August 2020)
Béraud-Sudreau, L., Marksteiner, A., Lopes da Silva, D., Tian, N., Kuimova, A., Wezeman, P. D and Wezeman, S. T. , Mapping the International Presence of the World’s Largest Arms Companies (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2020)
Tian, N. and Fei, S., Estimating the Arms Sales of Chinese Companies (SIPRI, Stockholm: January 2020)
Wezeman, P. D., Fleurant, A., Kuimova, A., Lopes Da Silva, D., Tian, N. and Wezeman, S. T., Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2019(Stockholm: (March 2020)
Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2018 (SIPRI, Stockholm: April 2019)
The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2018 (SIPRI, Stockholm: December 2019)
Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2018 (March 2019)
The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2017 (December 2018)
Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2017 (SIPRI, Stockholm: March 2018)
Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2017 (SIPRI, Stockholm: May 2018)
Military Expenditure Transparency in Sub-Saharan Africa (November 2018)
Tian, N., Fleurant, A., Wezeman, P. D. et al., Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2016 (April 2017)
The SIPRI Top 100 Arms‑producing and Military Services Companies, 2016 (December 2017)
Fleurant, A., Wezeman, P. D., Wezeman, S. T. et al, Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2016 (February 2017)

5. Military expenditure and developments in arms production (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2024)
5. Military expenditure and arms production (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2023)
8. Military expenditure (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2022)
8. Military expenditure (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2021)
8. Military expenditure (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2020)
9. International arms transfers and developments in arms production (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2020)
5. International arms transfers and developments in arms production (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2019)
4. Military expenditure (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2019)
4. Military expenditure (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2018)
5. International arms transfers and developments in arms production (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2018)
9. Military expenditure (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2017)
10. International arms transfer and developments in arms production (Chapter, SIPRI Yearbook 2017)

External publications

Scarazzato, L., Liang, X., Tian, N., & Lopes da Silva, D. (2024). Developments in Arms Production and the Effects of the War in Ukraine. Defence and Peace Economics, pp. 1–21.
Tian, N., Lopes da Silva, D. and Kuimova, A., Military Spending and the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in UNODA Occasional Papers no. 35, Rethinking Unconstrained Military Spending, pp. 21-37, United Nations, New York (2020)
Dunne, J. P. and Tian, N. (2019). Costs of Civil War and Fragile States in Africa. Review of Development Economics, 23(3), pp. 1220-1237
Dunne, J. P. and Tian, N. (2019), Conflict Determinants in Africa, The Economics of Peace and Security Journal, 14(2), pp. 21-31
Brauer, J., Dunne, J. P. and Tian, N. (2019), Towards Demilitarisation? The Military Expenditure-Development Nexus Revisited, in Matthews, R. (Eds.), The Political Economy of Defence, pp. 90-119, Cambridge University Press.
Fleurant, A. and Tian, N. (2018), SIPRI's Arms Producing and Military Services Companies Database, The Economics of Peace and Security Journal, 13(2), pp. 5-10.
Dunne J. P. and Tian, N. (2017), Conflict and Fragile States in Africa, Working Paper Series N° 274, African Development Bank, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2016) Military Expenditure and Economic Growth, 1960-2014, The Economics of Peace a Security Journal, 11(2)
Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2015) Military Expenditure and Economic Growth: A Panel Analysis 1988-2010, Defence and Peace Economics, 26(1) 15-31
Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2015) Conflict, Economic Growth and Spillover Effects in Africa. Working Paper 561, Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA)
Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2014) Conflict Spillovers and Growth in Africa, Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 20(4) 539-549
Bhorat, H. and Tian, N. (2014) Growth, Employment and Skills: The New Growth Path Revisited, LMIP 3 Report
Bhorat, H., Tian, N. and Ellyne, M. (2014) The Real Exchange Rate and Sectoral Employment in South Africa, DPRU Working Paper and Forthcoming in Africa Growth Initiative Working Paper Series, Brookings
Dunne, J.P. and Tian, N. (2013) Military Spending and Economic Growth: A Survey, Economics of Peace and Security, 8(1) 5-11