NEW DELHI – India has yet again emerged as the world’s largest importer of weapons and military equipment, accounting for 15 per cent of global imports, with Russia being its majority supplier, a Stockholm-based think tank said.
Between 2005-2009 and 2010-14, India’s imports increased by 140 per cent. In 2010-14, India’s imports were three times larger than those of either of its regional rivals China and Pakistan, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI said.
This is in contrast with the 2005-2009 period when India’s imports were 23 per cent below China’s and just over double of those of Pakistan.
Of the top 10 largest importers of major weapons during the five-year period 2010-14, five are in Asia — India – 15 per cent of global arms imports, China – 5 per cent, Pakistan – 4 per cent, South Korea – 3 per cent and Singapore – 3 per cent, according to the report, titled ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers’.
These five countries accounted for 30 per cent of the total volume of arms imports worldwide.
India accounted for 34 per cent of the volume of arms imported to Asia, more than three times as much as China. China’s arms imports actually decreased by 42 per cent between 2005-2009 and 2010-14.
