Data released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed that Europe has become the world’s largest arms importer over the past five years.

According to the report, European governments increased arms purchases in response to the Russian threat and declining confidence in US security commitments.

Arms imports by European countries more than tripled between 2021 and 2025 compared with the 2016–2020 period.

The increase is largely attributed to supplying Ukraine with weapons to counter Russia’s invasion and to efforts by European countries to strengthen their military capabilities after decades of underinvestment in defense.

Matthew George, director of SIPRI’s arms transfer program, said the sharp rise in arms flows to European countries pushed global arms transfers up by about 10 percent.

The report showed that Europe accounted for 33 percent of global arms imports, compared with 12 percent in the previous five-year period.