That dollar figure results from a 52.3% increase from $385.6 million five years earlier in 2018.
Year over year, overall spending on that military weaponry accelerated by 32.1% compared to $444.5 million for 2021.
The 5 biggest exporters of non-artillery military weapons are the United States of America, Switzerland, Belgium, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. Combined, that quintet of leading international suppliers accounted for 89.8% of globally exported military weapons studied in this article. Such a high percentage indicates a concentrated cohort of weaponry exporters.
Applying a continental lens, suppliers in Europe shipped the highest value of non-artillery military weapons at $313.8 million or 53.4% of worldwide exports for this commodity subcategory. In second place were sellers in North America at 43.1% trailed by those in Asia and Africa both at another 1.5% each.
Smaller percentages came from providers in Oceania (0.3%) mostly Australia and competitors in Latin America (0.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for military weapons is 930190. (That prefix covers sub-machine guns but excludes artillery weapons like rocket launchers and flame-throwers).
Top Military Weapons Exporters
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of military weapons (excluding artillery products such as rocket launchers and flame-throwers) during 2022.
- United States: US$246.8 million (42% of non-artillery military weapon exports)
- Switzerland: $164.7 million (28%)
- Belgium: $57.3 million (9.8%)
- Slovakia: $38.2 million (6.5%)
- United Kingdom: $20.5 million (3.5%)
- Poland: $14.9 million (2.5%)
- Djibouti: $7.9 million (1.3%)
- Croatia: $7.2 million (1.2%)
- Canada: $6 million (1%)
- South Korea: $4.9 million (0.8%)
- Kazakhstan: $2.9 million (0.5%)
- Russia: $2.5 million (0.4%)
- Montenegro: $2.1 million (0.4%)
- Australia: $1.6 million (0.3%)
- Netherlands: $1.3 million (0.2%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 98.5% of globally exported non-artillery military weapons in 2022.
Among the top suppliers, the fastest-growing exporters of non-artillery military weapons since 2021 were: Montenegro (up 4,473%), Slovakia (up 612.9%), Switzerland (up 612.4%) and Croatia (up 116.3%).
Four major suppliers posted declines in their international sales of non-artillery military weapons, namely: South Korea (down -80.1% from 2021), Belgium (down -53.8%), Australia (down -19.4%) and the Netherlands (down -11%).
Countries Earning Best Trade Surpluses from Military Weapons
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for non-artillery military weapons during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exports of non-artillery military weapons and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- United States: US$218.1 million (net export surplus up 22.5% from 2021)
- Switzerland: $164.7 million (up 612.4%)
- Belgium: $55.9 million (down -53.4%)
- Slovakia: $32 million (up 981%)
- Poland: $11.7 million (up 74.5%)
- Djibouti: $7.9 million (2021 data unavailable)
- Croatia: $7.2 million (up 116.3%)
- Canada: $3.4 million (up 15.6%)
- Kazakhstan: $2.5 million (2021 data unavailable)
- Russia: $2.5 million (2021 data unavailable)
- Montenegro: $2 million (reversing a -$413,000 deficit)
- Belarus: $1.2 million (2021 data unavailable)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $678,000 (down -24.9%)
- Sudan: $364,000 (down -31.8%)
- Bosnia/Herzegovina: $363,000 (reversing a -$1.4 million deficit)
The United States of America generated the highest surplus in the international trade of military weapons. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms America’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Largest Trade Deficits from Military Weapons
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for non-artillery military weapons during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported non-artillery military weapons purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United Kingdom: -US$56.9 million (net export deficit down -28.9% from 2021)
- Indonesia: -$45.2 million (up 216.9%)
- Nepal: -$30.5 million (up 40.8%)
- Kuwait: -$19.8 million (up 1516.6%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$18 million (2021 data unavailable)
- Brazil: -$14.4 million (up 76.9%)
- Spain: -$11.3 million (up 72.9%)
- Latvia: -$10.6 million (down -72.8%)
- Portugal: -$8.1 million (up 5.9%)
- Norway: -$8.1 million (down -27.6%)
- Nigeria: -$8 million (down -91.5%)
- Central African Republic: -$7.89 million (2021 data unavailable)
- Lithuania: -$7.21 million (up 51.7%)
- South Korea: -$6.94 million (down -28.4%)
- Philippines: -$6.33 million (up 43.6%)
The United Kingdom incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of non-artillery military weapons. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights the UK’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for non-artillery military weapons-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
See also Aerospace Exports by Country, Top Industrial Robots Exporters and Top Fireworks Exporters
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 29, 2023
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 29, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 29, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 29, 2023