In almost every year for 70 years, the two largest arms exporters in the world were the United States and Russia.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), this feature of the global armaments trade has changed in recent years. While the United States remains the world's #1 arms exporter, Russia has ceased to be #2, ceding the position to France in 2021-2022 and 2024-2025, and Germany in 2023.

Which country will be the 2nd largest arms exporter in the world in 2026, according to data published by SIPRI?

SIPRI typically updates annual arms export figures each March with an accompanying report (the most recent report was published Mar 2026, see also Mar 2025, Mar 2024, Mar 2023).

SIPRI's arms export figures are available on their database. To get the data for last year, use their Import/Export top list function with the period set to 2025-2025.