International sales of exported military weapons (including sub-machine guns but excluding artillery weapons like rocket launchers and flame-throwers) totaled US$xxx million in 2021.

That dollar figure reflects a 3.9% gain since 2017 and a 10.9% increase in value from 2020 to 2021.

The 5 biggest exporters of non-artillery military weapons are the United States, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland and Poland. Combined, that quintet of leading international suppliers accounted for 95.4% of globally exported military weapons studied in this article.

Applying a continental lens, suppliers in North America shipped the highest value of non-artillery military weapons at $244.8 million or 63.5% of worldwide exports for this commodity subcategory. In second place was Europe at 23.9% trailed by Asia at 11.8%.

Smaller percentages came from providers in Latin America (0.6%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (0.12%) and Oceania (0.06%) mainly Australia.

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 2021.

1. United States: US$244.7 million (63.5% of exported non-artillery military weapons)
2. Norway: $58.6 million (15.2%)
3. South Korea: $42.7 million (11.1%)
4. Switzerland: $13.8 million (3.6%)
5. Poland: $7.5 million (2%)
6. Croatia: $4.1 million (1.1%)
7. Spain: $3 million (0.8%)
8. Colombia: $2.2 million (0.6%)
9. Slovakia: $2.1 million (0.5%)
10. Thailand: $1.5 million (0.4%)
11. Netherlands: $1.4 million (0.4%)
12. Montenegro: $1 million (0.3%)
13. North Korea: $488,000 (0.1%)
14. Democratic Rep. Congo: $379,000 (0.1%)
15. Luxembourg: $343,000 (0.1%)

By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.7% of globally exported non-artillery military weapons in 2021.

Among the top suppliers, the fastest-growing exporters of non-artillery military weapons since 2020 were: Norway (up 18,279%), Luxembourg (up 1,329%), Montenegro (up 52.3%) and South Korea (up 51.4%).

Those countries that posted declines in their international sales of non-artillery military weapons were led by: Slovakia (down -74.0%), Switzerland (down -61.0%), Thailand (down -54.6%), Colombia (down -45.3%) and Spain (down -13.1%).

Countries Earning Best Trade Surpluses from Military Weapons

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for non-artillery military weapons during 2021. 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.

1. United States: US$175.6 million (net export surplus down -20% from 2020)
2. Belgium: $120 million (2020 data unavailable)
3. Switzerland: $23.1 million (up 67.2%)
4. Poland: $6.7 million (up 623%)
5. Croatia: $3.3 million (down -19.2%)
6. Canada: $2.9 million (reversing a -$3.2 million deficit)
7. Slovakia: $2.4 million (up 64%)
8. Sudan: $534,000 (down -720.9%)
9. Colombia: $405,000 (down -110.8%)
10. Mauritania: $176,000 (down -5966.7%)
11. India: $79,000 (down -72.6%)
12. Dominican Republic: $50,000 (down -5.7%)

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 2021. 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.

1. Cambodia: -US$139.4 million (2020 data unavailable)
2. Nigeria: -$93.6 million (net export deficit down -33.2% from 2020)
3. Latvia: -$39 million (up 1025.9%)
4. Nepal: -$21.7 million (down -37.2%)
5. Oman: -$16.9 million (down -31.5%)
6. Indonesia: -$14.3 million (down -82.8%)
7. Norway: -$11.2 million (reversing a $35.2 million surplus)
8. Zambia: -$10.7 million (down -73.5%)
9. South Korea: -$9.7 million (down -123.6%)
10. Brazil: -$8.2 million (up 114.6%)
11. Pakistan: -$8.1 million (reversing a $59,000 surplus)
12. Portugal: -$7.7 million (down -42.2%)
13. Estonia: -$6.7 million (down -40.7%)
14. Spain: -$6.51 million (reversing a $1.9 million surplus)
15. Kuwait: -$6.49 million (up 4602.2%)

Cambodia incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of non-artillery military weapons. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Cambodia’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 August 14, 2022

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 14, 2022

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 14, 2022

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 14, 2022