HELSINKI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Europe became the world's largest arms-importing region over the past five years, driven partly by increased procurement in response to the escalating Ukraine crisis and uncertainty over the U.S. commitment to the defense of its European allies, according to a report released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Data from SIPRI showed that the volume of arms imports by European states in 2021-2025 rose to more than three times the level recorded in 2016-2020. The sharp rise in arms deliveries to Europe helped push the global volume of arms transfers up by 9.2 percent.
European states accounted for 33 percent of global arms imports in 2021-2025, compared with 12 percent in 2016-2020.
Mathew George, director of SIPRI's Arms Transfers Programme, said military aid deliveries to Ukraine since 2022 had been the most visible factor behind the increase. He added that many other European countries had also significantly raised arms purchases to strengthen their military capabilities in response to the escalating Ukraine crisis.
Despite efforts by European countries to expand domestic arms production, they continued to rely heavily on imports from the United States, particularly combat aircraft and long-range air defense systems. Over the past five years, U.S.-supplied weapons accounted for 48 percent of all arms imports by European states.
The report also showed that arms imports by Middle Eastern countries fell by 13 percent in 2021-2025 compared with the 2016-2020 period, although Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait remained major importers in the region. More than half of the arms imported by Middle Eastern countries came from the United States.
Saudi Arabia accounted for 6.8 percent of global arms imports, Qatar 6.4 percent, and Kuwait 2.8 percent, according to the report.
Reuters reported that Middle Eastern countries had already placed substantial arms orders before the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, and that some new orders were not yet reflected in the SIPRI data. The ongoing fighting could further stimulate arms purchases, particularly of missile defense and air defense systems.
On the export side, the report showed that the United States remained the world's largest arms exporter in 2021-2025, followed by France and Russia.
The United States accounted for 42 percent of global arms exports, up from 36 percent in 2016-2020. France held 9.8 percent of the global total, while Russia's share fell to 6.8 percent.
SIPRI measures the volume of arms transfers rather than their financial value. Because transfer volumes can vary significantly from year to year, the institute uses five-year periods to provide a more stable picture of long-term trends. ■