Major Military Companies' Sales Reached $370 Billion in 2015

Sales of weapons and military services by the largest companies in this sector were estimated to total over $370 billion in 2015. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published this figure based on new data regarding the international arms industry. Companies based in the United States accounted for nearly $210 billion in weapon sales in 2015, maintaining a prominent position in SIPRI's list. In the annual SIPRI list of the top 100 military weapon companies globally, 39 U.S. companies were identified, collectively holding over half of the international arms sales in 2015. However, this list indicates that U.S. arms sales decreased by nearly three percent compared to 2014, marking the fifth consecutive year of this downward trend. Conversely, according to SIPRI's annual report, arms sales by military companies in Western Europe increased by over 6.5 percent in 2015 compared to 2014, totaling nearly $96 billion. This increase contrasts with the significant decline in revenue from arms sales by Western European companies recorded between 2013 and 2014. The total arms sales of eleven Russian companies in SIPRI's 2015 list exceeded $30 billion, representing eight percent of total international arms sales in 2015 and an increase of over six percent compared to 2014 statistics. According to SIPRI's annual report, U.S. companies accounted for over 56 percent of arms sales in 2015, while British companies held over 10 percent, Russian companies 8 percent, and French companies nearly six percent, respectively. SIPRI reported that increased domestic procurement and exports from seven South Korean companies raised their arms sales in 2015 by nearly one-third to $7.7 billion. Due to a lack of information, the statistics for Chinese companies were not included in the SIPRI report, although it is estimated that nine Chinese companies could have been listed. This SIPRI report only outlines the total volume of arms and military services sold by the top 100 companies in this sector, while another recent SIPRI report estimated total military expenditures globally in 2015 at $1,676 billion.