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What is the story about?
India remained the world's fifth-largest military spender and the second-largest importer of major arms in 2025, according to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
According toSIPRI Yearbook 2026, India's military expenditure reached $92.1 billion (around ₹7.7 lakh crore) in 2025. This was an 8.9% increase compared to 2024. This includes money spent on soldiers' salaries, weapons, military equipment, infrastructure, research and development, and operations.
The figure places India behind only the United States, China, Russia and Germany in terms of defence spending.
The report also states that India was the second-largest buyer of major weapons and military equipment between 2021 and 2025. Ukraine topped the list, accounting for 9.7% of global arms imports, while India's share stood at 8.2%.
Pakistan, on the other hand, ranked fifth, with a 4.2% share, during 2021-25, moving up from 10th place in the 2016-20 period. Its imports of major weapons increased by 66%. Pakistan accounted for 4.2% of all global arms imports during the period.
According to the report, Russia remains India's biggest arms supplier, providing about 40% of all the weapons and military equipment imported by India between 2021 and 2025. It fell from 70% during 2011-15 to 51% during 2016-20, and further to 40% during 2021-25.
The report states that France was the second-largest supplier with a 29% share, followed byIsrael with 15%. At the same time, SIPRI noted that India's arms imports fell by 4% compared with the previous five-year period from 2016 to 2020.
China is no longer among the world's top 10 arms importers for the first time in about 30 years. The report also shows that the United States remained the world's largest arms exporter, supplying 42% of all weapons traded internationally between 2021 and 2025.
In April, the government said that India's defence exports crossed $4 billion (around ₹34,000 crore) in 2025-26, the highest level ever recorded. This was an increase of more than 60% compared with the previous year.
According toSIPRI Yearbook 2026, India's military expenditure reached $92.1 billion (around ₹7.7 lakh crore) in 2025. This was an 8.9% increase compared to 2024. This includes money spent on soldiers' salaries, weapons, military equipment, infrastructure, research and development, and operations.
The figure places India behind only the United States, China, Russia and Germany in terms of defence spending.
The report also states that India was the second-largest buyer of major weapons and military equipment between 2021 and 2025. Ukraine topped the list, accounting for 9.7% of global arms imports, while India's share stood at 8.2%.
Pakistan, on the other hand, ranked fifth, with a 4.2% share, during 2021-25, moving up from 10th place in the 2016-20 period. Its imports of major weapons increased by 66%. Pakistan accounted for 4.2% of all global arms imports during the period.
According to the report, Russia remains India's biggest arms supplier, providing about 40% of all the weapons and military equipment imported by India between 2021 and 2025. It fell from 70% during 2011-15 to 51% during 2016-20, and further to 40% during 2021-25.
The report states that France was the second-largest supplier with a 29% share, followed byIsrael with 15%. At the same time, SIPRI noted that India's arms imports fell by 4% compared with the previous five-year period from 2016 to 2020.
China is no longer among the world's top 10 arms importers for the first time in about 30 years. The report also shows that the United States remained the world's largest arms exporter, supplying 42% of all weapons traded internationally between 2021 and 2025.
In April, the government said that India's defence exports crossed $4 billion (around ₹34,000 crore) in 2025-26, the highest level ever recorded. This was an increase of more than 60% compared with the previous year.
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