India is by far the largest importer of arms, in large part because it has failed to develop a robust domestic arms industry.
A new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says Indian imports of major weapons rose by 111% between 2004 and 2008, and its share of international arms imports is now 14%.
The value of Indian arms imports is now almost three times as high as that of second-ranked China and third-ranked Pakistan. The major supplier of arms to India in 2013 was Russia, accounting for 75% of imports; the U.S. supplied 7%.
