Global arms trade rose to a projected $700 billion by 2027, but the biggest shifts are happening inside the supplier and buyer rankings. The US still exported $238B in arms over 2018 to 2022 and approved another $238B in FY2020 to 2024, while Europe and Asia-Oceania account for sharply different import shares and the Middle East drives 31% of global arms buying. Follow how aircraft, armoured vehicles, and artillery make up the transfer mix, and how a few countries control most flows as exporters and importers change places.
Key Takeaways
- Global arms exports grew 14% 2018-2022 vs prior period
- US share of global arms exports 40% in 2018-2022
- France arms exports share 11% 2018-2022
- US defense industry employs 1.14 million directly in 2022
- Aerospace sector supports 2.2 million total jobs in US 2022
- Lockheed Martin employs 114,000 people worldwide 2023
- Global military spending $2.24 trillion in 2023
- US military budget $916B in 2023, 40% of global
- China defense spending $292B in 2023
- The global arms industry revenue reached $592 billion in 2021
- Top 100 arms companies' arms sales totaled $592 billion in 2021, up 19% from 2020
- US arms industry sales accounted for 51% of global top 100 in 2021
- Lockheed Martin is the world's largest arms producer with $60.8B revenue in 2022
- RTX ranked 2nd with $40.6B defense revenue in 2022
- Northrop Grumman 3rd at $32.3B in 2022
Global arms exports rose 14% from 2018 to 2022, led by the US with 40% of sales.
Arms Exports
1Global arms exports grew 14% 2018-2022 vs prior period
Verified
2US share of global arms exports 40% in 2018-2022
Verified
3France arms exports share 11% 2018-2022
Directional
4Russia exports dropped to 10% share 2018-2022
Single source
5China arms exports 5.2% share 2018-2022
Single source
6Germany 5.6% global arms exports 2018-2022
Verified
7India 2.0% share of arms exports 2018-2022
Single source
8Top 5 exporters 76% of global arms trade 2018-2022
Directional
9Saudi Arabia largest arms importer 9.8% 2018-2022
Verified
10India 9.2% of global arms imports 2018-2022
Verified
11Qatar imports surged 431% 2018-2022
Directional
12Ukraine imports up 96% 2018-2022
Verified
13US exported $238B in arms 2018-2022
Verified
14France arms exports $48B TIV 2018-2022
Verified
15Russia arms exports $31B TIV 2018-2022 down 48%
Directional
16Aircraft 28% of arms trade volume 2018-2022
Verified
17Armoured vehicles 21% of transfers 2018-2022
Verified
18Artillery 14% of global arms exports 2018-2022
Verified
19US F-35 exports to 19 countries by 2023
Verified
20Middle East 31% of global arms imports 2018-2022
Verified
21Asia-Oceania 42% arms imports 2018-2022
Verified
22Europe 14% arms imports 2018-2022
Verified
23US arms export approvals $238B FY2020-2024
Verified
Arms Exports Interpretation
While the U.S. plays the generous host at the global arms bazaar, pouring 40% of the drinks, the Middle East remains the thirstiest customer, proving that business is booming in the art of selling security by the barrel.
Employment
1US defense industry employs 1.14 million directly in 2022
Verified
2Aerospace sector supports 2.2 million total jobs in US 2022
Single source
3Lockheed Martin employs 114,000 people worldwide 2023
Directional
4RTX workforce 185,000 employees 2023
Verified
5Northrop Grumman 95,000 employees 2023
Verified
6Boeing 171,000 employees with 35% in defense 2023
Verified
7General Dynamics 106,000 workers 2023
Single source
8BAE Systems 90,500 employees globally 2022
Verified
9Defense industry multiplier effect creates 1 additional job per direct job in US
Single source
10UK defense sector employs 138,000 directly 2023
Verified
11French arms industry 165,000 jobs 2022
Directional
12German defense firms employ 80,000 2022
Verified
13Israel's defense sector 50,000 high-tech jobs 2023
Directional
14India's defense PSUs employ 400,000 2023
Verified
15Top 100 arms firms employ 3.3 million people 2021
Verified
16US DoD civilian workforce 800,000 in 2023
Single source
17Defense primes outsourcing 70% of work to SMEs US
Verified
18Women comprise 20% of US defense workforce 2022
Directional
19Veterans make up 30% of defense contractor hires US
Verified
20Global arms industry supports 10 million indirect jobs
Verified
21Lockheed Martin added 5,600 jobs in 2022
Directional
22RTX hired 12,000 amid Ukraine war 2022
Verified
23Defense R&D employs 300,000 specialists US
Single source
24Supply chain for arms adds 1.5M jobs US 2023
Verified
Employment Interpretation
The arms industry presents itself as an engine of economic stability, employing millions worldwide, yet this prosperity is fundamentally tethered to a perpetual state of global conflict and insecurity.
Government Spending
1Global military spending $2.24 trillion in 2023
Verified
2US military budget $916B in 2023, 40% of global
Single source
3China defense spending $292B in 2023
Single source
4Russia military expenditure $109B 2023 up 24%
Verified
5India $81.4B defense budget 2023
Verified
6Saudi Arabia $75.8B military spend 2023
Verified
7UK defense budget $74.7B in 2023
Verified
8Germany $66.8B up 51% in 2023
Single source
9France $61.3B military spending 2023
Single source
10Japan $50.2B defense outlay 2023 up 11%
Verified
11Ukraine spending 37% of GDP on military 2023
Single source
12Global military burden 2.3% GDP in 2023
Verified
13NATO spending $1.34T total 2023
Verified
14US DoD procurement $170B in FY2023
Verified
15R&D funding $145B globally 2023 est.
Directional
16Personnel costs 24% of global spending 2022
Verified
17Equipment spending up 6.8% 2023
Directional
18Middle East spending rose 9.0% 2023
Directional
19Europe military spend up 16% 2023
Verified
20US F-35 program cost $428B lifetime
Directional
Government Spending Interpretation
While the world spends a staggering $2.24 trillion annually preparing for its worst-case scenarios, one can't help but wonder if that level of investment in our better angels might have rendered the arsenals obsolete.
Market Size
1The global arms industry revenue reached $592 billion in 2021
Verified
2Top 100 arms companies' arms sales totaled $592 billion in 2021, up 19% from 2020
Verified
3US arms industry sales accounted for 51% of global top 100 in 2021
Single source
4Lockheed Martin reported $67 billion in arms sales in 2021
Verified
5RTX (Raytheon) arms sales were $42.9 billion in 2021
Verified
6Northrop Grumman arms revenue hit $32.5 billion in 2021
Directional
7Boeing defense sales reached $26.5 billion in 2021
Single source
8General Dynamics arms sales were $25.7 billion in 2021
Verified
9Global military services market grew to $148 billion in 2021
Verified
10Arms sales of top 100 companies rose 19% from 2016-2021 average
Verified
11BAE Systems arms revenue was $24.5 billion in 2021
Verified
12Chinese arms firms sales estimated at $79 billion in 2021
Single source
13Aviation industry arms sales totaled $195 billion in 2021
Directional
14Electronics & optronics arms sales reached $173 billion in 2021
Verified
15Vehicles & equipment arms revenue was $92 billion in 2021
Verified
16Other arms sales category hit $132 billion in 2021
Verified
17US firms dominated with 41 of top 100 slots in 2021
Single source
18European arms sales totaled $121 billion in 2021
Verified
19Global arms market projected to grow to $700 billion by 2027
Verified
20Defense market size was $531.18 billion in 2023
Single source
Market Size Interpretation
The global arms industry, a nearly six-hundred-billion-dollar symphony of aviation, electronics, and grim necessity, plays a crescendo where the United States conducts the majority of the orchestra, proving that while peace may be the goal, preparing for its opposite remains a spectacularly lucrative business.
Top Companies
1Lockheed Martin is the world's largest arms producer with $60.8B revenue in 2022
Single source
2RTX ranked 2nd with $40.6B defense revenue in 2022
Directional
3Northrop Grumman 3rd at $32.3B in 2022
Verified
4Boeing 4th with $26.0B defense sales 2022
Verified
5General Dynamics 5th at $23.3B in 2022
Directional
6BAE Systems 6th with $23.0B revenue 2022
Verified
7China North Industries (NORINCO) 7th est. $21.8B
Verified
8China Aviation Industry Corp (AVIC) 8th $20.7B
Verified
9L3Harris Technologies 9th at $15.6B in 2022
Verified
10Huntington Ingalls Industries 10th $10.7B 2022
Verified
11Leonardo S.p.A. arms sales $15.3B in 2021 SIPRI
Verified
12Airbus defense revenue $12.5B in 2021
Verified
13Honeywell aerospace defense $9.8B 2021
Verified
14Thales Group $9.2B arms sales 2021
Verified
15Leidos Holdings $10.2B military services 2021
Verified
16Booz Allen Hamilton $6.8B services 2021
Verified
17SAIC $7.0B military services 2021
Verified
18Israel's Elbit Systems $5.0B arms 2021
Verified
19India's Hindustan Aeronautics $3.5B 2021
Verified
20South Korea's Hanwha $3.8B arms 2021
Single source
21Turkey's Aselsan $2.1B 2021
Directional
22Poland's PGZ Group $2.4B 2021
Verified
23US DoD awarded $439B in contracts in FY2022
Directional
24Lockheed Martin backlog $156B as of 2023
Single source
25RTX backlog $196B end 2023
Verified
26World's top 5 arms firms are all American
Single source
27SIPRI ranks 100th firm sales at $661M in 2021
Verified
Top Companies Interpretation
The global arms industry is a remarkably exclusive club where the top five members are all American, the membership fee starts at tens of billions, and the hundredth richest member is still a billionaire in waiting.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Arms Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/arms-industry-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Arms Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/arms-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Arms Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/arms-industry-statistics.
Sources & References
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