Pakistan tops developing nations arms purchasers list for 2006

Washington: A report to the United States Congress by the Congressional Research Service on conventional arms transfers to developing nations by the United States and foreign countries for the preceding eight calendar years (1999-2006) says that developing nations continue to be the primary focus of foreign arms sales activity by weapons suppliers.

According to the report, in the period 1999-2006, the value of arms transfer agreements with developing nations comprised 66.4% of all such agreements worldwide. For a more restricted period, 2003-2006, arms transfer agreements with developing nations constituted 65.7% of all such agreements globally, while for the year 2006 they constituted 71.5% of all agreements.

In this context the report points out that Pakistan ranked first in the value of arms transfer agreements among all developing nations weapons purchasers, concluding $5.1 billion in such agreements in 2006. India ranked second with $3.5 billion in such agreements, while Saudi Arabia ranked third with $3.2 billion.

The value of all arms transfer agreements with developing nations in 2006 was nearly $28.8 billion, which was a decrease from $31.8 billion in 2005. The value of actual arms deliveries to developing nations during the year was $19.9 billion, which was also the lowest total in the value of deliveries for the entire 1999-2006 period (in constant 2006 dollars).

Not surprisingly, given their dominance of the arms market over the decades, was the fact that the United States and Russia dominated contracts in the developing world in the period 2003-2006. The United States ranking first for 3 out of 4 years in the value of arms transfer agreements, with Russia ranking second for 3 out of these same four years.

From 2003-2006, the United States made $34.1 billion in arms transfer agreements with developing nations, in constant 2006 dollars, or 32.4% of all such agreements. Russia, the second leading supplier during this period, made $25.8 billion in arms transfer agreements, or 24.5%. Collectively, the United States and Russia made 56.9% of all arms transfer agreements with developing nations during this four-year period.

In 2006, the United States ranked first in arms transfer agreements with developing nations with $10.3 billion or 35.8% of these agreements. Russia was second with $8.1 billion or 28.1% of such agreements. The United Kingdom was third with $3.1 billion or 10.8%.

In 2006, the United States ranked first in the value of arms deliveries to developing nations at nearly $8 billion, or 40.2% of all such deliveries. Russia ranked second at $5.5 billion or 27.7% of such deliveries. The United Kingdom ranked third at $3.3 billion or 16.6% of such deliveries.