USA and Russia: the top exporters of arms in the world

In the global arms market, there are 10 countries who account for more than 90 percent of all arms trade. 

The U.S. and Russia are the largest exporters, with a combined profit of $16.3 billion in the year 2016. The other three making up the top five are Germany, France and China, who have all been increasing their numbers of exports. These five in total are responsible for 74 percent of all exports throughout the world. 

For the month of June, Pope Francis is asking all Christians to join him in praying for an end to this tragic arms trade.

“Is this war or that war really a war to solve problems or is it a commercial war for selling weapons in illegal trade so that the merchants of death get rich?”

He has mentioned his disgust for the selling of arms are numerous other occasions as well, mentioning power and money as the root causes. 

“In today’s world there is blood being spilled. Today the world is at war. Many brothers and sisters are dying, -even innocent people-, because the great and powerful want a larger slice of the earth; they want a little more power, or they want to make a little more money on arms trafficking.”

However, the United States alone supplies weapons to more than 100 countries, which is more than any other country. 

This multi-billion dollar industry earned these main contending countries $31 billion in 2016 alone, as the main countries looking to import these weapons are India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

 

Source: Romereports