This map uses data downloaded from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) Arms Transfers Database of Trend Indicator Values (TIV). These values are based on the known unit production costs of a core set of weapons and are intended to allow for a common measurement of arms flow trends between nations over time. This map plots trends in arms transfers from the US to other nations between 1950 and 2023.
Below is an explanation of the map, included data, and its functionality:
Find the slider in the bottom-left corner. Click and drag it. For each year selected, the colors of nations change to represent each nation's percent share of the total volume of US weaponry transferred globally during that year. The circle sizes change to reflect the total volume of weaponry each nation received in each year. This value is expressed in trend indicator values (TIV) in millions and the methodology for determining this number can be found on SIPRI's website.
In the top-left corner you can use the zoom controls to change the scale of the map.
In the top-right corner you can click the layer control box to turn off or on the proportional circles representing the total volume of weapons transferred to each country in the selected year.
At the bottom-right, you can see a legend representing the different color classes used to symbolize the choropleth layer, as well as the sizes of the proportional circles used to express the total volume of weapons transferred. The greatest volume of US weapons transferred for any given year between 1950 and 2023 was 4618 million in SIPRI TIV, transferred to Iran in 1977.
If you hover over a circle with your cursor, you can see nation-level information about the total volume of weapons transferred, the share of all US weapons transferred, and the trend of US weapons transfers to that nation between 1950 and 2023.
If you click on a nation, you can see information about the percent of total US weapons transferred that went to the nation in the selected year.
Choropleth ranges are derived from the application of natural breaks (jenks) to the data representing each nation's share of the total volume of weapons sold between 1950 and 2023. This was modified to remove nations with no purchases from the bottom class.
Explore the raw data: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database
Map authored by Jay Bowen, 2025