India is still world's largest arms importer

Flanked by nuclear-armed neighbours on both sides of the border, India retained the top slot as the world’s biggest arms importer, eclipsing China and Pakistan.

India contributed to 15 per cent of the global arms import between 2010-14, which is way above China (5 per cent) and Pakistan (4 per cent), says Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) in its latest survey, results of whiche were released on Monday.

“Enabled by continued economic growth and driven by high-threat perceptions, Asian countries continue to expand their military capabilities with an emphasis on maritime assets,” said Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher with Sipri.

India accounts for 34 per cent of arms imports to Asia, more than three times as much as China.