Morocco came in at 29th place globally out of 40 importers of arms from 2019 to 2023, as per a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The report, published on Monday, highlighted that Morocco, representing 0.8% of the global arms import share, secured the 7th position in the Arab region, during the same period. Saudi Arabia led the Arab list, followed by Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Algeria, respectively.
It further pointed out that Morocco saw a -46% drop in arms imports from the period of 2014-2018 to 2019-2023, marking the second-largest decline in the Arab region, behind Algeria’s -77% decrease in arms imports.
As to the main suppliers of arms to Morocco, the United States took the lead, constituting 69% of Morocco’s total imports, followed by France at 14%, and Israel at 11%.
When it came to Algeria, on the other hand, Russia ranked first, representing 48% of the Algerian total imports, followed by Germany at 15%, and China at 14%.
It’s worth noting that Global Firepower placed Morocco 61st globally out of 145 countries, with the Kingdom boasting an excellent ranking in terms of total available paramilitary force strength, securing the 24th position.
Morocco, hence, demonstrated its might with 14th place in tankers, and 16th in tanks, complemented by a powerful artillery force ranking 14th globally.
The SIPRI report additionally mentioned the largest arms exporters and their main buyers, with the United States at the top of the list.
It showcased that Saudi Arabia emerged as the primary recipient of arms from the US, followed by Japan and Qatar. France stood as the second-largest supplier of arms, with India as the top recipient, followed by Qatar and Egypt. Concerning Russia, which held the third position among the 25 largest exporters of major arms, its primary recipients were India, China, and Egypt, respectively.
The same report indicated that US and French arms exports rose between 2014-18 and 2019-23. On the other hand, Russian, Chinese, and German arms exports fell.
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