SIPRI: Sales in weapons surge; show no signs of slowing

Armaments production worldwide is continuing full speed ahead. According to a new study by a Swedish think tank, the 100 biggest weapons companies have once again increased their sales, with the US leading the way.

The world’s 100 largest weapons producers and military contractors saw another boost in global sales last year, with total sales of $420 billion (€379 billion) — some 4.6% higher than in 2017.

2018 sales were even a whole 47% above those of 2002, according to a new study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on the global weapons industry. Because of the lack of reliable data, the study did not include China. […]

US in front

The study shows that the world’s 10 largest arms companies increased their market share by 5.8% to $210 billion. For the first time since 2002, the five biggest armaments manufacturers were once again all from the United States, making up 35% of the sales of the world’s 100 largest arms companies. […]

UK doing good business

Twenty-seven of the biggest armaments companies worldwide come from Europe, with the leaders in Western Europe based in the United Kingdom and France. The biggest British player is the mega-corporation BAE Systems, which employs more than 83,000 workers.

Russia catching up

Russian companies had a turnover of $36.2 billion, thus making up 8.6% of worldwide weapons production. […]

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