Ukraine 1, India 2, Qatar 3 … In this list, the name of Pakistan too, how did we turn in the competition?

New Delhi: The world is eyeing India and Pakistan. The tension between the two countries has increased after ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. There are situations like war. India has also shown what level its military power is. Sensing the threat of Pakistan and China, the government never compromised with its military power. This indicates this from the recent report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). According to the report, India became the second largest buyer of weapons in 2024. Ukraine is number one in this list. Qatar is at number three. There has been a decrease in the purchase of weapons from Russia in India. However, the purchase of arms from France, Israel and America has increased.

India is the second largest weapon in the world to import. Ukraine ranks first. However, the reason for the purchase of Ukraine is war with Russia. India is now more diversified in the purchase of weapons. Its dependence on Russia has decreased. Now he is also buying weapons from France, Israel and America.

How did India take a turn in the race?

Ukraine (8.8%) is number one in the list of the largest arms importer countries between 2020-2024. This is followed by India (8.3%), Qatar (6.8%), Saudi Arabia (6.8%) and Pakistan (4.6%). The import of arms in Ukraine has increased greatly due to the ongoing war with Russia. India’s arms imports have decreased by 9.3%. This reduction is compared to 2015-19. One reason for this is that India is manufacturing weapons at the domestic level.

At the same time, in 2024, India is also included in the top 5 among the most spent countries on the army. The US ($ 997 billion) is at number 1 in this list. Then China (estimated $ 314 billion), Russia (estimated $ 149 billion), Germany ($ 88.5 billion) and India ($ 86.1 billion). These top five countries together consist of about 60% of the world’s total military expenses.

Weapon purchases increased from France

France became the world’s second largest weapon exporter during 2020-2024. India is the largest buyer of French weapons. India bought 28% of France’s total exports. Qatar is the second largest customer. Qatar has bought 9.7% weapons. Rafale fighter aircraft is one of France’s most exported weapons.

Russia’s arms exports have declined by 64% in the last five years. However, India is still Russia’s largest weapon buyer. India has bought 38% of Russia’s total exports.