Arms imports in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Arms imports was 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
Change on year
up 25.8%
All-time high
3.06 billion SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1978
All-time low
125.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1960
Years of data
49
1960–2023

Arms imports in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2023

01.0B2.0B3.0B196019912023

Source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in SIPRI trend indicator values.

Analysis

In 2023, arms imports in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values.

That represents a change of up 25.8% on the previous year and down 17.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arms imports in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 3.06 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1978 and was at its lowest, 125.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, in 1960.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 525.56 million SIPRI trend indicator values 125.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 962.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 9
1970s 1.54 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 717.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 3.06 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 10
1980s 1.75 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 515.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 2.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 10
1990s 407.60 million SIPRI trend indicator values 298.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 549.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 5
2000s 836.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 459.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 1.25 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 6
2010s 971.14 million SIPRI trend indicator values 593.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 1.37 billion SIPRI trend indicator values 7
2020s 656.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 581.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 2

More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is arms imports in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Arms imports in Sub-Saharan Africa was 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 2023, according to Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
What is the highest arms imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3.06 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1978.
What is the lowest arms imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 125.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 1960.
Is arms imports rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)
Unit
SIPRI trend indicator values
Source
Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
217 places, 9,420 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Arms transfers (imports) cover the volume of transfers of major arms through sales and gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major conventional weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships. Figures are SIPRI Trend Indicator Values (TIVs). A '0' indicates that the volume of deliveries is between 0 and 0.5 million SIPRI TIV.