Global arms exports soar on European demand: Study

STOCKHOLM –

Global weapons flows grew by almost 10% in the past five years, with Europe more than tripling imports, a report showed on Monday.

The surge in European countries can be explained, in part at least, by the fact they are buying in weapons to supply to Ukraine and because they are seeking to boost their own military capabilities against a perceived threat from Russia, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said.

The volume of worldwide arms flows grew by 9.2% in the 2021-2025 period compared with the preceding five-year period, according to SIPRI’s new report.