Defense equipment on display at the 2020 Zhuhai Airshow in China.
Credit: Shutterstock
The world is a more dangerous place than ever before. At least, that’s what most governments seem to believe, going by the worldwide increase in military spending. From 2021 to 2025, arms spending around the globe surged up by 9.2%. And when arms sales are up, so are profits. That means some countries are not only expanding their militaries but cashing in.
Asia is already home to two full-fledged arms export powerhouses – but many more countries have high hopes of joining the ranks of the world’s top defense exporters. Today, we’re counting down the region’s top 10 defense exporters – and separating the wanna-bes from the real contenders.
