While the arms race between Algeria and Morocco appears to be slowing down, leading to a 44% drop in overall arms imports across the continent, worsening security conditions in West Africa have driven a sharp increase in major weapons purchases by countries in the region.

Russia and China were Africa’s top arms suppliers between 2020 and 2024, accounting for 39% of the continent’s total arms imports, according to a report released on March 10 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The report, which focuses on major weapons such as aircraft, air defense systems, armored vehicles, missiles, warships, and satellites, found that Russia was Africa’s largest supplier, providing 21% of the weapons imported during this period. China followed with 18%, while the United States ranked third with 16%.

Over the period under review, Africa’s arms imports fell by 44% compared to the 2015-2019 period. This decline was largely driven by reduced purchases from North African countries that have traditionally been among the continent’s biggest buyers. Algeria’s arms imports dropped by 73%, while Morocco’s fell by 26%.

Africa accounted for just 4.5% of global arms imports over the past five years. In comparison, Asia and Oceania made up 33%, Europe 28%, the Middle East 27%, and the Americas 6.2%.

SIPRI’s findings also highlight that Sub-Saharan Africa represented only 2.2% of total global arms imports. However, arms purchases in this region increased by 4.2% compared to the previous five-year period.

West African Arms Imports Double

While overall arms imports in Sub-Saharan Africa remained relatively low, West Africa saw a sharp increase due to worsening security conditions and escalating conflicts.

Between 2020 and 2024, West African nations doubled their combined arms imports compared to the previous five-year period. Nigeria accounted for the largest share, representing 34% of all arms imports in the region.

“The growth in arms imports to West Africa has been striking. While the volume of imports remains relatively small, it has important geopolitical implications. States like Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal seem to be rapidly increasing their imports. Arms suppliers are using arms exports to boost their influence in this part of the world, including emerging suppliers—primarily Türkiye—alongside more established actors such as China, France, Russia and the USA,” said Katarina Djokic, a researcher in SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Program.

Worldwide, arms transfers remained relatively stable over the past five years compared to the 2015-19 period. Increases in imports by Europe and the Americas offset declines in other regions.

The world’s top five arms exporters between 2020 and 2024 were the United States (43%), France (9.6%), Russia (7.8%), China (5.9%), and Germany (5.6%).

The top five importers during the period were Ukraine (8.8%), India (8.3%), Qatar (6.8%), Saudi Arabia (6.8%), and Pakistan (4.6%).