Germany surpassed China as the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter between 2021 and 2025, according to a new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The paper said Berlin accounted for 5.7 percent of global arms distribution, slightly ahead of China’s 5.6 percent share.
The ranking places the US first with 42 percent of global exports, followed by France at 9.8 percent and Russia at 6.8 percent.
Analysts linked the shift partly to increased European defense production following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The study also found that Kyiv became the world’s largest importer of major arms from 2021 to 2025, accounting for 9.7 percent of global arms imports.
Top Buyers, Products
Ukraine, Egypt, and Israel were among the main recipients of German military equipment during the period, boosting Berlin’s foreign military sales by 15 percent compared with data from 2016 to 2020.
SIPRI said that nearly a quarter of Germany’s exports, or about 24 percent, went to Ukraine as military aid.
Meanwhile, Europe received 41 percent of German deliveries overall, followed by the Middle East with 33 percent and Asia and Oceania with 17 percent.
Germany’s military trade portfolio includes armored vehicles, artillery ammunition, and air defense systems.
Platforms such as the Leopard 2 main battle tank, KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicle, Boxer armored personnel carrier, and IRIS-T SLM air defense system are widely used by European forces.
Drop in China’s Exports
SIPRI noted that China’s export growth slowed as Beijing prioritized equipping its own armed forces and expanded domestic production of advanced systems.
Pakistan remained China’s largest customer, accounting for about 80 percent of its overseas arms deliveries.
At the same time, Russia, despite retaining third place internationally, had its arms exports fall by 64 percent compared with the previous five-year period.
