10 Countries that Export the Most Weapons in the World

6. China

Total TIV 2000 – 2015: 15,659

China’s inclusion on the list of 10 countries that export the most weapons in the world is a recent event. Ten years ago, China couldn’t offer any high-tech weaponry, but massive investments in R&D (and reverse engineering, some would add) and its own defense budget have begun to pay dividends. The China weapons exports have almost doubled in the last five years. Today it sells almost everything, from missile systems to Turkey to frigates to Algiers. In the 2010-2014 period, China ranks as third largest weapons supplier in the world, with a clear tendency to remain there in the future or even take the second spot. While the quality of Chinese weapons still lags behind those made in Russia and US, it is far cheaper and serves its purpose just fine for those countries, not in the need for the ultra high-tech gear Chinese rivals on the market make. Still, China remains one of the largest buyers on arms market, as it is poised to receive anti-aircraft systems and fighter jets from Russia in 2016 and 2017.