Naval expansion propels India to world’s No. 2 arms importer – Russian think tank
India was the world’s second-largest arms importer in 2025, partly aided by a historically large naval buildout, according to a Russian think tank that tracks weapons purchases and military expenditures.
The South Asian nuclear power has been rapidly building up its armed forces following a brief clash with neighbor Pakistan last year, triggered by a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s identified military imports were worth $6.97 billion, or 5.83% of the global total, and the country is projected to retain the position through 2029, the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT) said.
Poland came in first with $11.91 billion, while Australia was narrowly behind India at $6.96 billion.
Among the major Indian deliveries cited by CAWAT was the Russian-built frigate Tamal, which joined the Indian Navy in July 2025. Two more Project 11356 frigates are being built at India’s Goa Shipyard with assistance from Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
India also commissioned the Vaghsheer, the sixth and final Kalvari-class submarine built by state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders under license from France’s Naval Group. The six-submarine program was valued at $3.6 billion, according to CAWAT.
The Indian Navy is undergoing its largest expansion in history, with plans to induct or commission 18 warships this year.
New Delhi imported $25.44 billion worth of arms in the 2022-2025 period, placing it third behind Saudi Arabia and Qatar in CAWAT’s four-year rankings. Its annual imports rose from $3.87 billion in 2024 to $6.97 billion last year.
The think tank projects India’s arms imports at $45.65 billion over 2026-2029, keeping the country in the second position. Poland is expected to remain at the top with $55.32 billion worth of imports, followed by Germany at $36.48 billion. The forecast is based on existing contracts, officially announced procurement plans, and expected tenders as of December 2025.
Poland’s rise has been particularly sharp. Its arms imports climbed from $2.17 billion in 2022 to $11.91 billion in 2025, driven by major purchases including US-made Abrams tanks and South Korean K2 tanks.
CAWAT projects global arms imports at almost $633 billion over the 2026-2029 period, up 52.5% from in the preceding four years. The center expects Europe to take a larger share of global demand during the period.
The ranking covers identified commercial arms deliveries and does not include weapons supplied free of charge, including Western military aid to Ukraine.
CAWAT’s methodology differs from that of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which measures the volume of major weapons transfers using a trend-indicator value rather than their sale price. SIPRI says its figures should not be directly compared with the financial value of arms transfers.
