Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): Annual Yearbook Overview

Key Chapter Title List

1. International Security and Armed Conflict
2. Military Expenditure, Arms Production and Trade
3. World Nuclear Forces
4. Proliferation and Use of Missiles and Armed Drones
5. Nuclear Non-proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
6. Chemical and Biological Weapons Security Threats
7. Conventional Arms Control and Inhumane Weapons Regulation
8. Artificial Intelligence and International Peace and Security
9. Cybersecurity Threats and Digital Threats
10. Space Security Management
11. Arms and Dual-use Goods Trade Controls
12. Overview of Arms Control and Disarmament Agreements

Document Introduction

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2025, adhering to its tradition of independent, open-source-based research, provides a comprehensive and sobering assessment of the global security landscape in 2024. The report indicates that the global security situation continued to deteriorate in 2024, marked by major armed conflicts in Ethiopia, Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, and Ukraine. Global military expenditure grew for the tenth consecutive year, exceeding the $2.7 trillion mark for the first time, with the global military burden (military spending as a share of global GDP) rising to 2.5%. Concurrently, the estimated total death toll from armed conflicts increased from 188,000 in 2023 to 239,000, reaching the highest level since 2018. These trends highlight an international security landscape characterized by heightened tensions between states, ineffective conflict resolution mechanisms, and challenges to multilateral cooperation.

The Yearbook is structured into three main parts, systematically presenting the situation and developments in key areas. Part One focuses on international security and armed conflict, providing a detailed analysis of conflict dynamics worldwide in 2024, particularly noting Europe as the region with the highest conflict death toll due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and the expansion of hostilities in the Middle East. The report emphasizes that although the number of conflicts slightly decreased, their intensity and the level of external intervention increased. Part Two delves into military expenditure, the arms industry, and international arms transfers. Data shows that US military spending ($997 billion) remains far ahead, with China in second place ($314 billion). US companies dominate the global "Top 100" arms sales ranking. Regarding international arms trade, between 2020-2024, US exports increased significantly while Russian exports sharply declined. Ukraine became the world's largest arms importer, with its imports surging nearly 100-fold compared to the previous period.

Part Three is dedicated to examining progress and challenges in the fields of non-proliferation, arms control, and disarmament. On nuclear weapons, the report warns that "the era of nuclear disarmament appears to be over," with US-Russia bilateral nuclear arms control at a standstill and all nuclear-armed states advancing modernization programs. While the global nuclear arsenal is slowly decreasing, signs of a new, riskier "qualitative arms race" are emerging. In the conventional domain, the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention faces severe challenges, with allegations and investigations in Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere raising serious concerns. The widespread use of missiles and armed drones in the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts marks their emergence as a core element of modern warfare, yet corresponding international control mechanisms lag severely.

Furthermore, the Yearbook features thematic discussions on the impact of emerging technologies on international security. The dual-use of artificial intelligence in military and civilian spheres presents new risks and governance challenges; diverse forms of cybersecurity threats, from ransomware attacks to critical infrastructure disruption, prompted the UN to adopt the first-ever UN Convention on Countering Cybercrime; the militarization of space is increasingly prominent, with frequent incidents of interference against space systems, highlighting the urgent need to establish stable and predictable norms of behavior in space. Finally, the report reviews the operation of the global arms and dual-use goods trade control system under multiple pressures, including the effectiveness of the Arms Trade Treaty, challenges in implementing UN and EU arms embargoes, and updates and adjustments to major export control regimes.

This report is based on several core databases maintained long-term by SIPRI, including those on military expenditure, arms production, arms transfers, and arms embargoes. It provides researchers, policymakers, and professionals concerned with international security with indispensable data support and in-depth analysis, serving as an essential reference for understanding the current complex global security picture and future trends.