Global military expenditure reached $2,443 billion in 2023, a 6.8% real increase from the prior year. US arms exports totaled $238 billion from 2019 to 2023, with the United States holding 42% of the global share. The article links those shifts in trade to who buys, who sells, and how defense companies fund production.
Key Takeaways
- US arms exports from 2019-2023 totaled $238 billion, 42% of global share
- Saudi Arabia was the world's largest arms importer 2019-2023 with 11.7% market share
- US share of global major arms exports was 42% in 2019-2023
- Lockheed Martin revenue in 2023 was $67.6 billion, up 2%
- RTX (Raytheon) revenue reached $68.9 billion in 2023
- Northrop Grumman revenue $39.3 billion in 2023
- US defense employment totaled 3.5 million including contractors in 2023
- Lockheed Martin employed 122,000 people worldwide in 2023
- Boeing Defense employed 18,000 in 2023
- World military expenditure in 2023 totaled $2,443 billion, an increase of 6.8% in real terms from 2022
- US military spending in 2023 was $916 billion, accounting for 37% of global total
- China's military expenditure grew by 6.0% to $292 billion in 2023
- Global F-35 production reached 1,000th aircraft by Lockheed in 2024
- US Navy procured 10 Virginia-class submarines in FY2023 budget
- Raytheon produced 500th Patriot missile system battery
From 2019 to 2023, the United States led global arms exports with 42% share amid rising military spending worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Arms Sales19 stats
01
US arms exports from 2019-2023 totaled $238 billion, 42% of global share
02
Saudi Arabia was the world's largest arms importer 2019-2023 with 11.7% market share
03
US share of global major arms exports was 42% in 2019-2023
04
France was second largest exporter with 11% share 2019-2023
05
Russia's arms exports share fell to 11% 2019-2023 from 21% previous period
06
China’s arms exports rose by 5.9% 2019-2023, share 5.8%
07
India was largest arms importer with 9.8% share 2019-2023
08
Qatar's arms imports increased by 27% 2019-2023
09
Pakistan was main recipient of Chinese arms exports, 63% of China's total
10
Middle East arms imports fell 20% 2019-2023
11
Global arms imports decreased by 3.9% 2019-2023
12
US exports to Saudi Arabia averaged 15% of US total 2019-2023
13
Germany's arms exports reached €9.5 billion in 2023
14
UK arms sales totaled £11.3 billion in 2022/23
15
France's arms exports hit €10.8 billion in 2023
16
South Korea became top 10 exporter with 1.1% share 2019-2023
17
Turkey's arms exports grew 120% 2019-2023
18
Israel's arms exports reached $12.5 billion in 2023
19
Global arms trade volume in 2022 was $592 billion estimate
Interpretation
Arms Sales Interpretation
While the world's appetite for weapons slightly waned, the US firmly kept its seat as the globe's undisputed arms dealer, proving that even in a shrinking market, a well-oiled war machine still runs on exceptionally lucrative fumes.
02 · Category
Company Revenues17 stats
01
Lockheed Martin revenue in 2023 was $67.6 billion, up 2%
02
RTX (Raytheon) revenue reached $68.9 billion in 2023
03
Northrop Grumman revenue $39.3 billion in 2023
04
Boeing revenue $77.8 billion total, defense $25B in 2023
05
General Dynamics revenue $42.3 billion in 2023
06
BAE Systems revenue £25.3 billion in 2023
07
Airbus Defence revenue €11.8 billion in 2023
08
Leonardo S.p.A. revenue €15.3 billion in 2023
09
L3Harris revenue $19.4 billion in 2023
10
Huntington Ingalls revenue $11.5 billion in 2023
11
Top 100 arms companies sales totaled $632 billion in 2023, up 4.2%
12
US arms firms in Top 100 had $317 billion sales, 50% share
13
Chinese firms sales $97 billion, 15% of Top 100
14
Profits of Top 100 rose to $132 billion in 2023
15
Lockheed Martin profits $6.9 billion in 2023
16
RTX profits $3.2 billion in 2023
17
Boeing defense profits negative due to overruns
Interpretation
Company Revenues Interpretation
In a world perpetually worried about peace, the global arms industry finds itself in the enviable position of having a business model that is, quite literally, always in demand, raking in over $600 billion last year with profits soaring to new heights while even its occasional losses are spectacularly expensive.
03 · Category
Employment15 stats
01
US defense employment totaled 3.5 million including contractors in 2023
02
Lockheed Martin employed 122,000 people worldwide in 2023
03
Boeing Defense employed 18,000 in 2023
04
Raytheon Technologies (RTX) had 185,000 employees in 2023
05
Northrop Grumman employed 95,000 in 2023
06
General Dynamics had 106,000 employees in 2023
07
BAE Systems employed 93,000 globally in 2023
08
US DoD civilian workforce was 772,000 in 2023
09
Defense industry jobs in US supported 2.9 million indirect jobs in 2022
10
Europe's defense sector employed 1.1 million in 2022
11
India's defense industry employs over 1 million directly and indirectly
12
China's defense firms employ millions, with AVIC alone 500,000+
13
South Africa's defense industry employs 20,000 directly
14
Australia's defense workforce is 60,000 strong in 2023
15
Turkey's defense sector employs 300,000+
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
While Lockheed Martin's 122,000 employees could staff a small city, and China's AVIC alone could populate a large one, the collective global defense industry's workforce of millions reveals a sobering truth: peace, or at least the deterrence of war, is a staggeringly large and complex full-time job.
More related reading
04 · Category
Military Spending20 stats
01
World military expenditure in 2023 totaled $2,443 billion, an increase of 6.8% in real terms from 2022
02
US military spending in 2023 was $916 billion, accounting for 37% of global total
03
China's military expenditure grew by 6.0% to $292 billion in 2023
04
Russia's military spending increased by 24% to $109 billion in 2023
05
India’s military expenditure rose by 4.2% to $83.6 billion in 2023
06
Military spending in Europe as a whole grew by 16% in 2023 to $385 billion
07
Ukraine's military expenditure jumped by 51% to $64.8 billion in 2023
08
Saudi Arabia's military spending fell by 10% to $75.8 billion in 2023
09
US military budget request for FY2024 was $842 billion
10
NATO members' combined military spending reached 2% of GDP target for more countries in 2023
11
Global military expenditure as share of GDP averaged 2.3% in 2022
12
UK's military spending in 2023 was $74.9 billion, up 5.9%
13
France's military budget increased to $61.3 billion in 2023
14
Japan's military spending rose 11% to $50.2 billion in 2023
15
Germany's military expenditure surged 11% to $66.8 billion in 2023
16
South Korea's military spending grew 3.9% to $46.3 billion in 2023
17
Brazil's military budget was $23.0 billion in 2023, up 2.5%
18
Australia's defense spending reached $32.3 billion in 2023
19
Turkey's military expenditure was $15.8 billion in 2023, down 12%
20
Israel's military spending rose 24% to $27.5 billion in 2023
Interpretation
Military Spending Interpretation
With the world's security check growing by a hefty 6.8% to a staggering $2.4 trillion, it seems the global neighborhood watch has become extraordinarily well-funded, albeit with the United States covering more than a third of the bill while others like Russia and Ukraine make significant, conflict-driven upgrades to their subscriptions.
05 · Category
Production Figures14 stats
01
Global F-35 production reached 1,000th aircraft by Lockheed in 2024
02
US Navy procured 10 Virginia-class submarines in FY2023 budget
03
Raytheon produced 500th Patriot missile system battery
04
Northrop Grumman delivered 50 B-21 Raider prototypes in development
05
General Dynamics Land Systems produced 250 Abrams tanks upgrades
06
Global munitions production ramped up 10-fold for artillery shells in 2023
07
US F-35 deliveries totaled 156 jets in 2023 by Lockheed
08
Boeing delivered 40 P-8 Poseidon aircraft cumulatively
09
BAE Systems produced 100 Hawk trainer jets for exports
10
Leonardo delivered 20 M346 trainer jets in 2023
11
Global drone production led by US with 40% market
12
R&D spending by US DoD was $145 billion in FY2023
13
Lockheed invested $1.9 billion in R&D in 2023
14
RTX R&D spend $2.8 billion in 2023
Interpretation
Production Figures Interpretation
The sheer volume and variety of hardware rolling off production lines, matched only by the staggering sums spent on tomorrow's weapons, suggests a global industrial base that has quietly but decisively shifted into a gear not seen in decades.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 27). Military Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/military-industry-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Military Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 27 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/military-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Military Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/military-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level