The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published in March 2026 its "Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2025" by Mathew George, Katarina Djokic, Zain Hussain, Pieter D. Wezeman, and Siemon T. Wezeman.
During the period 2021-2025, the largest supplier of major weapons to all of Africa was the United States (19 percent), followed by China (17 percent), and Russia (15 percent). Nearly all of the American weapons went to Morocco and Egypt. These percentages do not include small arms and light weapons, which would drive up percentages for China and Russia.
The largest supplier of major weapons to sub-Saharan Africa during this period was China (22 percent), Russia (12 percent), and Turkiye (11 percent). The three countries receiving the most major weapons were Nigeria (16 percent), Senegal (9 percent), and Mali (8 percent).
