The United States and China took the lead in the global arms market in 2019, and for the first time a country in the Middle East was among the top 25 biggest weapons manufacturers, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Given the phenomenal sums involved, the arms industry is a significant sector and a major contributor to GDP for the countries on the list.
Five US-based arms companies were at the top of the list, earning $166 billion in annual arms sales, according to SIPRI. Twelve US firms accounted for 61% of the combined weapons sales of the top 25.
Four Chinese arms-producing companies increased sales by 4.8% in 2019 against $56.7 billion in 2018, accounting for 16% of global arms sales last year. SIPRI noted that other Chinese companies might qualify for the top-25 list, but could not be included in the absence of ‘comparable and sufficiently accurate data’.
EDGE, a firm based in the United Arab Emirates – the first from a Middle East country to feature in the ranking – was 22nd on the list, accounting for 1.3% of total arms sales.
France’s Dassault Aviation Group also featured in the top 25 for the first time, having more than doubled its production (which, according to SIPRI, could be due to a spike in the export of its Rafale fighter aircraft).
Analysts say that, alongside China’s largely unknown contribution to arms manufacturing and sales globally, a notable feature of the list is the entry of another non-NATO entity, the UAE.