Global Conflict & Arms Trade Facts

A Collection of Sourced & Verifiable Facts on Global Conflict & Arms Trade

To make it on this list a statistic must be from a trusted primary source with a clear “as of” date or a reputable secondary source that clearly lists its primary sources. All statistics are sourced and cited at the bottom of the page. Please add a comment if you find additional good sources.

Facts on Global Conflicts & Arms Trade

1. In 2008, 16 major armed conflicts were active in 15 locations around the world, 2 more than in 2007 (1)
2. In 2008, as in 2007, 60 multilateral peace operations were conducted. A record 187,586 personnel were deployed, an 11 per cent increase over 2007. Of these, 166,146 were military and 21,440 civilian, including police. (2)
3. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan continued to be the largest peace operation, with 51,356 troops, an increase of around 9600 over the 2007 figure. MONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and UNAMID in Darfur, Sudan, were the second and third largest missions. (2)
4. The combined arms sales of the Top 100 arms-producing companies reached $347 billion, an increase of 11 per cent in nominal terms and 5 per cent in real terms over 2006.  (3)
5. Between 2002 and 2007 the value of the Top 100 arms sales has increased by 37 per cent in real terms. (3)
6. Forty-four US companies accounted for 61 per cent of the Top 100’s arms sales in 2007, while 32 West European companies accounted for 31 per cent of the sales.  (3)
7. The two largest acquisitions of arms-producing companies in 2008 were the acquisition of the IT services company EDS by Hewlett-Packard for $13.9 billion, and the $5.2 billion acquisition of the US military electronics firm DRS Technologies by Finmeccanica of Italy. (4)
8. The estimated financial value of the international arms trade in 2007 was $51.1 billion. According to national data, the USA was the largest arms exporter in 2007, with exports worth $12.8 billion; Russia was in second place, with $7.4 billion; France was in third place, with $6.2 billion; Israel was in fourth place, with $4.4 billion; and the UK was in fifth place, with $4.1 billion. (4)
9. In January 2009, eight states possessed a total of more than 23,300 nuclear weapons (5)
10. There were 27 mandatory multilateral arms embargoes in force in 2008, directed at a total of 15 targets. Twelve of the embargoes were imposed by the United Nations and 15 by the European Union. (6)

Fact Sources

1. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 2A
2. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 3A
3. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Chapter 5
4. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Chapter 6
5. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 7B
6. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 12A
   

Graphs & Charts on Global Conflict & Arms Trade

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 2A

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 6A

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 6A

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 6B

Image source: Nuclear Warheads by Country, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Chapter 8

Image source: Nuclear Warheads by Country, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 12A