Ukraine took fourth place in the world’s ranking of arms importers; Europeans are also arming themselves against the background of war.

During the period from 2019-2023, Ukraine became the largest arms importer in Europe and ranked fourth in the world, according to information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Ukraine’s global share in the import of major types of weapons in 2019−2023 was 4.9%. India (9.8% of the world volume), Saudi Arabia (8.4%), and Qatar (7.6%) took the first three places in the ranking of arms importers.

Global military spending increased by 6.8% and exceeded $2.4T. The US spends the most money on defense. In Europe, 39 out of 43 countries increased their defense spending due to the war in Ukraine.

The institute also calculated that as of January 2024, the global stockpile of nuclear weapons is approximately 12,121 warheads. And about 2,100 of the nuclear warheads deployed on ballistic missiles were on high alert. Almost all of them belong to Russia or the US, who together own 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal.