Publication

In this publication, Aude Fleurant et al provides an overview trends in international arms sales, based on SIPRI’s extensive Arms Industry Database. Key insights include 1) the arms sales of the world’s 100 largest arms-producing and military services companies totaled $420 billion in 2018; 2) this was an increase of 4.6% compared with 2017; 3) this growth was primarily driven by increases in sales by the highest-ranked companies—specifically the top five companies, all of which are based in the US; 4) the growth in 2018 can be correlated to increases in global military expenditure, particularly rises in US spending, and more.