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Authorized Trade

In 2012, the Small Arms Survey completed a multi-year comprehensive review of the authorized trade in small arms, light weapons, and their parts, accessories, and ammunition.  This review was conducted in four phases, each of which focused on a discrete set of material. The 2009 Small Arms Survey examined the trade in firearms: pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, and machine guns. Ammunition for small arms and light weapons is assessed in the 2010 edition. The 2011 edition examined the trade in light weapons, including portable guided missiles and launchers (such as anti-tank weapons and man-portable air-defence systems, or MANPADS); portable rocket launchers; mortars up to and including calibres of 120 mm; recoilless rifles and guns; and hand-held, under-barrel, and automatic grenade launchers. In 2012 the Survey evaluated international transfers of parts and accessories and reviewed findings from previous years. 

The Survey's analysis consisted of a thorough examination of data published by governments and was supplemented by field research, interviews with key officials, and information collected at arms shows. Peer-reviewed methodologies were developed to extrapolate from limited data and assess the value of unreported authorized transfers. Through this process, the Small Arms Survey reviewed tens of thousands of records of arms transfers from customs data, national reports, government procurement documentation, and the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms; conducted dozens of interviews with government officials and industry executives; and commissioned research on key geographic areas.

Based on this review, the Survey now estimates that authorized transfers of small arms, light weapons and their parts, accessories and ammunition is worth at least USD 8.5 billion annually.  This estimate is significantly higher than the Survey’s previous estimate of USD 4 billion, reflecting both an absolute increase in the value of transfers of certain items and a more complete accounting of these and other transfers.

 

Annual Export and Import Data

Download annual authorized small arms and light weapons imports and exports for major importers and exporters (yearly imports and sales of at least USD 10 million):

Small Arms Survey Publications

  • Legacies of War in the Company of Peace: Firearms in Nepal, May 2013. Nepal Armed Violence Assessment Issue Brief No. 2 (Also available in Nepali)

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  • Small Arms Transfers: Importing States, November 2011. Research Note No. 12, Weapons and Markets (also available in Catalan and Spanish).

    Download (245.05 KB)

  • Small Arms Transfers: Exporting States, October 2011. Research Note No. 11, Weapons and Markets (also available in Catalan and Spanish).

    Download (236.45 KB)

  • Scraping the Barrel: The Trade in Surplus Ammunition, April 2011. Issue Brief No. 2

    Download (1.6 MB)

  • Skirting the Law: Post-CPA Arms Flows to Sudan, by Mike Lewis, September 2009. Working Paper No. 18 (also available in Arabic)

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  • Trading Life, Trading Death: The Flow of Small Arms from Mozambique to Malawi, by Gregory Mthembu-Salter, January 2009. Working Paper No. 6

    Download (396.63 KB)

  • Buying the Bullet: Authorized Small Arms Ammunition Transfers, by  Anne-Kathrin Glatz, 2006. In Stéphanie Pézard and Holger Anders, eds. Targeting Ammunition: A Primer.

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  • Targeting Ammunition: A Primer, edited by Stéphanie Pézard and Holger Anders, co-published with CICS, GRIP, SEESAC, and Viva Rio, June 2006.

    More information

  • Beyond the Kalashnikov: Small Arms Production, Exports, and Stockpiles in the Russian Federation, by Maxim Pyadushkin with Maria Haug and Anna Matveeva, August 2003. Occasional Paper No. 10

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  • Making Global Public Policy: The Case of Small Arms and Light Weapons, by Edward Laurence and Rachel Stohl, December 2002. Occasional Paper No. 7

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  • Small Arms Availability, Trade, and Impacts in the Republic of Congo, commissioned by IOM and the UNDP, by Spyros Demetriou, Robert Muggah and Ian Biddle, April 2002. Special Report No. 2

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  • Shining a Light on Small Arms Exports: The Record of State Transparency, by Maria Haug, Martin Langvandslien, Lora Lumpe, and Nic Marsh, co-published with NISAT, January 2002. Occasional Paper No. 4

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Other Publications

  • Solmirano, Carina and Pieter D. Wezeman. 2010. Military Spending and Arms Procurement in the Gulf States. SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) Fact Sheet. October. Stockholm: SIPRI. 

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  • Karp, Aaron. 2006.  Escaping Reuterswärd’s shadow. Contemporary Security Policy, Vol. 27, No. 1. April, pp. 12-28.

    More information

  • Schroeder, Matthew, Dan Smith, and Rachel Stohl. 2006. The Small Arms Trade: A Beginner's Guide. London: Oneworld Publications

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Further Resources