A new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute states that Pakistan now sources most of its military equipment from China, with around 80 percent of its arms imports coming from Beijing between 2021 and 2025. Pakistan also moved up to become the fifth largest arms importer in the world during this period, rising from tenth place in 2016 to 2020. Its arms imports increased by 66 percent and accounted for 4.2 percent of global arms imports. China remained Pakistan’s primary supplier, and although it exported arms to 47 countries, 61 percent of its total exports went to Pakistan.

The report also highlighted India’s position as the world’s second largest arms importer during 2021 to 2025, with an 8.2 percent share of global imports. India’s purchases are largely driven by ongoing tensions with China and Pakistan. However, India’s total arms imports declined by about 4 percent compared with the previous five year period, partly due to its growing capacity to design and manufacture weapons domestically, despite delays in local production.

Despite efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing, India still depends on foreign suppliers for several major systems. Recent or planned orders include up to 140 combat aircraft from France and six submarines from Germany. Over the past decade, India has gradually reduced its dependence on Russia and increased procurement from Western countries such as France, Israel and the United States. Russia’s share of India’s arms imports dropped from 70 percent in 2011 to 2015 to 40 percent in 2021 to 2025.

SIPRI researcher Siemon Wezeman noted that concerns about China’s growing military strength are influencing defense spending across Asia and Oceania. In South Asia, India’s large arms imports are mainly driven by perceived threats from China and its long standing conflict with Pakistan. Imported weapons were also used during the brief clash between India and Pakistan in May 2025.

Globally, the top five arms importers during 2021 to 2025 were Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, together accounting for 35 percent of global imports. The United States remained the largest arms exporter with 42 percent of global exports, followed by France with 9.8 percent and Russia with 6.8 percent. Russia’s share dropped sharply from 21 percent in 2016 to 2020 due to reduced exports to countries like Algeria, China and Egypt. The report also noted that Europe became the largest arms importing region for the first time since the 1960s, accounting for 33 percent of global imports, largely due to the war in Ukraine. Asia and Oceania accounted for 31 percent, while West Asia represented 26 percent.