The arms industry influences security decisions and jobs, from government procurement to defense supply chains. Global military spending reached $2.24 trillion in 2023, with the US budget at $916B—about 40% of the world total. At the company level, Lockheed Martin and RTX illustrate how major exporters and employers tie regional budgets to production and staffing worldwide.
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% in 2018 to 2022 as US dominance and 2023 spending reached record levels.
Related reading
01 · Category
Arms Exports23 stats
01
Global arms exports grew 14% 2018-2022 vs prior period
02
US share of global arms exports 40% in 2018-2022
03
France arms exports share 11% 2018-2022
04
Russia exports dropped to 10% share 2018-2022
05
China arms exports 5.2% share 2018-2022
06
Germany 5.6% global arms exports 2018-2022
07
India 2.0% share of arms exports 2018-2022
08
Top 5 exporters 76% of global arms trade 2018-2022
09
Saudi Arabia largest arms importer 9.8% 2018-2022
10
India 9.2% of global arms imports 2018-2022
11
Qatar imports surged 431% 2018-2022
12
Ukraine imports up 96% 2018-2022
13
US exported $238B in arms 2018-2022
14
France arms exports $48B TIV 2018-2022
15
Russia arms exports $31B TIV 2018-2022 down 48%
16
Aircraft 28% of arms trade volume 2018-2022
17
Armoured vehicles 21% of transfers 2018-2022
18
Artillery 14% of global arms exports 2018-2022
19
US F-35 exports to 19 countries by 2023
20
Middle East 31% of global arms imports 2018-2022
21
Asia-Oceania 42% arms imports 2018-2022
22
Europe 14% arms imports 2018-2022
23
US arms export approvals $238B FY2020-2024
Interpretation
Arms Exports Interpretation
From the arms exports angle, global arms exports rose 14% in 2018 to 2022 while the US alone accounted for 40% of the market, underscoring how concentrated export power remains despite shifts as Russia fell to a 10% share.
02 · Category
Employment24 stats
01
US defense industry employs 1.14 million directly in 2022
02
Aerospace sector supports 2.2 million total jobs in US 2022
03
Lockheed Martin employs 114,000 people worldwide 2023
04
RTX workforce 185,000 employees 2023
05
Northrop Grumman 95,000 employees 2023
06
Boeing 171,000 employees with 35% in defense 2023
07
General Dynamics 106,000 workers 2023
08
BAE Systems 90,500 employees globally 2022
09
Defense industry multiplier effect creates 1 additional job per direct job in US
10
UK defense sector employs 138,000 directly 2023
11
French arms industry 165,000 jobs 2022
12
German defense firms employ 80,000 2022
13
Israel's defense sector 50,000 high-tech jobs 2023
14
India's defense PSUs employ 400,000 2023
15
Top 100 arms firms employ 3.3 million people 2021
16
US DoD civilian workforce 800,000 in 2023
17
Defense primes outsourcing 70% of work to SMEs US
18
Women comprise 20% of US defense workforce 2022
19
Veterans make up 30% of defense contractor hires US
20
Global arms industry supports 10 million indirect jobs
21
Lockheed Martin added 5,600 jobs in 2022
22
RTX hired 12,000 amid Ukraine war 2022
23
Defense R&D employs 300,000 specialists US
24
Supply chain for arms adds 1.5M jobs US 2023
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
In the US defense and aerospace sectors, employment remains massive and highly concentrated with 1.14 million directly employed by the US defense industry in 2022 and aerospace supporting 2.2 million total jobs, while major firms like Lockheed Martin (114,000), RTX (185,000), and Northrop Grumman (95,000) underscore how a small number of large employers anchor the workforce.
03 · Category
Government Spending20 stats
01
Global military spending $2.24 trillion in 2023
02
US military budget $916B in 2023, 40% of global
03
China defense spending $292B in 2023
04
Russia military expenditure $109B 2023 up 24%
05
India $81.4B defense budget 2023
06
Saudi Arabia $75.8B military spend 2023
07
UK defense budget $74.7B in 2023
08
Germany $66.8B up 51% in 2023
09
France $61.3B military spending 2023
10
Japan $50.2B defense outlay 2023 up 11%
11
Ukraine spending 37% of GDP on military 2023
12
Global military burden 2.3% GDP in 2023
13
NATO spending $1.34T total 2023
14
US DoD procurement $170B in FY2023
15
R&D funding $145B globally 2023 est.
16
Personnel costs 24% of global spending 2022
17
Equipment spending up 6.8% 2023
18
Middle East spending rose 9.0% 2023
19
Europe military spend up 16% 2023
20
US F-35 program cost $428B lifetime
Interpretation
Government Spending Interpretation
In the government spending slice of the arms industry, global military spending reached $2.24 trillion in 2023 and the US alone accounted for $916B, or 40% of the total, underscoring how a single government budget dominates overall defense outlays.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Size20 stats
01
The global arms industry revenue reached $592 billion in 2021
02
Top 100 arms companies' arms sales totaled $592 billion in 2021, up 19% from 2020
03
US arms industry sales accounted for 51% of global top 100 in 2021
04
Lockheed Martin reported $67 billion in arms sales in 2021
05
RTX (Raytheon) arms sales were $42.9 billion in 2021
06
Northrop Grumman arms revenue hit $32.5 billion in 2021
07
Boeing defense sales reached $26.5 billion in 2021
08
General Dynamics arms sales were $25.7 billion in 2021
09
Global military services market grew to $148 billion in 2021
10
Arms sales of top 100 companies rose 19% from 2016-2021 average
11
BAE Systems arms revenue was $24.5 billion in 2021
12
Chinese arms firms sales estimated at $79 billion in 2021
13
Aviation industry arms sales totaled $195 billion in 2021
14
Electronics & optronics arms sales reached $173 billion in 2021
15
Vehicles & equipment arms revenue was $92 billion in 2021
16
Other arms sales category hit $132 billion in 2021
17
US firms dominated with 41 of top 100 slots in 2021
18
European arms sales totaled $121 billion in 2021
19
Global arms market projected to grow to $700 billion by 2027
20
Defense market size was $531.18 billion in 2023
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2021 the global arms industry reached $592 billion in revenue and the top 100 arms companies also totaled $592 billion, showing a large and quickly growing market with a 19% jump from 2020.
05 · Category
Top Companies27 stats
01
Lockheed Martin is the world's largest arms producer with $60.8B revenue in 2022
02
RTX ranked 2nd with $40.6B defense revenue in 2022
03
Northrop Grumman 3rd at $32.3B in 2022
04
Boeing 4th with $26.0B defense sales 2022
05
General Dynamics 5th at $23.3B in 2022
06
BAE Systems 6th with $23.0B revenue 2022
07
China North Industries (NORINCO) 7th est. $21.8B
08
China Aviation Industry Corp (AVIC) 8th $20.7B
09
L3Harris Technologies 9th at $15.6B in 2022
10
Huntington Ingalls Industries 10th $10.7B 2022
11
Leonardo S.p.A. arms sales $15.3B in 2021 SIPRI
12
Airbus defense revenue $12.5B in 2021
13
Honeywell aerospace defense $9.8B 2021
14
Thales Group $9.2B arms sales 2021
15
Leidos Holdings $10.2B military services 2021
16
Booz Allen Hamilton $6.8B services 2021
17
SAIC $7.0B military services 2021
18
Israel's Elbit Systems $5.0B arms 2021
19
India's Hindustan Aeronautics $3.5B 2021
20
South Korea's Hanwha $3.8B arms 2021
21
Turkey's Aselsan $2.1B 2021
22
Poland's PGZ Group $2.4B 2021
23
US DoD awarded $439B in contracts in FY2022
24
Lockheed Martin backlog $156B as of 2023
25
RTX backlog $196B end 2023
26
World's top 5 arms firms are all American
27
SIPRI ranks 100th firm sales at $661M in 2021
Interpretation
Top Companies Interpretation
In the Top Companies category, Lockheed Martin leads the arms industry by a wide margin with $60.8B revenue in 2022, while the next largest firms all trail behind notably at $40.6B for RTX and $32.3B for Northrop Grumman.
report visual · Comparison
Arms Trade and Industry Share: Growth and Concentration
Global arms exports expanded while market leadership remained highly concentrated among a few exporters and categories.
Top 5 exporters 76% of global arms trade 2018-202276%
US share of global arms exports 40% in 2018-202240%
Aircraft 28% of arms trade volume 2018-202228%
Global arms exports grew 14% 2018-2022 vs prior period14%
Russia exports dropped to 10% share 2018-202210%
Reference
Cite This Report
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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
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level