NEW DELHI, March 9 (ANI): Pakistan’s military hardware is now largely sourced from China, with about 80 percent of its arms imports coming from Beijing, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Pakistan was the fifth-largest recipient of major arms globally in the 2021–25 period, up from tenth place in 2016–20. Its arms imports rose by 66 percent between the two periods, accounting for 4.2 percent of total global arms imports.
China remained Pakistan’s primary supplier, providing 80 percent of its imported weapons in 2021–25, up from 73 percent in 2016–20. According to SIPRI, although China supplied major arms to 47 countries during the period, 61 percent of its arms exports went to just one country: Pakistan.
The report also highlighted India’s position as the world’s second-largest arms importer during the same period, accounting for 8.2 percent of total global imports.
“India was the world’s second-largest recipient of major arms in 2021–25 with an 8.2 percent share of total global arms imports. Its arms imports are driven by tensions with both China and Pakistan. These tensions have regularly led to armed conflict, as they did briefly between India and Pakistan in May 2025, with both sides using imported major arms,” the SIPRI report said.
However, the report noted that India’s total arms imports declined slightly over the past decade, partly due to the country’s increasing ability to design and produce weapons domestically.
“Indian arms imports fell by 4.0 percent between 2016–20 and 2021–25. The decrease can be partly attributed to India’s growing ability to design and produce its own weapons, although there are often substantial delays in domestic production,” the report stated.
According to SIPRI, India continues to rely heavily on foreign suppliers for several key defense systems. “India’s recent orders or planned orders, including up to 140 combat aircraft from France and six submarines from Germany, indicate its continued and probably increasing reliance on foreign suppliers,” the report said.
Over the past decade, India has also shifted its arms procurement away from Russia and toward Western suppliers, particularly France, Israel, and the United States.
“Russia’s share of Indian arms imports dropped from 70 percent in 2011–15 to 51 percent in 2016–20 and then to 40 percent in 2021–25,” the report noted.
According to SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme senior researcher Siemon Wezeman, concerns over China’s growing military capabilities continue to influence defense spending and arms purchases across Asia.
“Fears over China’s intentions and its growing military capabilities continue to influence armament efforts in other parts of Asia and Oceania, which often still depend on imported arms,” Wezeman said.
“For example, in South Asia, the high volume of arms that India imports is largely due to the perceived threat from China and to India’s long-running conflict with the main recipient of Chinese arms exports, Pakistan. Imported weapons were used in the 2025 clash between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states,” he added.
Globally, the report stated that the top five arms importers in 2021–25 were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan, which together accounted for 35 percent of total arms imports.
The United States remained the world’s largest arms exporter, accounting for 42 percent of global arms exports during the period. France ranked second with a 9.8 percent share, while Russia placed third with 6.8 percent.
Russia’s share of global arms exports declined sharply from 21 percent in 2016–20 to 6.8 percent in 2021–25, mainly due to significant drops in exports to countries such as Algeria, China, and Egypt.
The analysis also noted that Europe accounted for the largest share of global arms imports for the first time since the 1960s, driven largely by the war in Ukraine and rising security concerns across the region. Europe accounted for 33 percent of global arms imports, followed by Asia and Oceania at 31 percent and West Asia at 26 percent. (ANI)
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