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Frequently Asked Questions
(Answers provide the most recent data and estimates).

 

PRODUCERS
What is the scale of global small arms production?
What is the global distribution of small arms and light weapons producers?
Which companies are the top small arms and light weapons manufacturers?

TRANSFERS
What is the scale of the global trade in small arms and light weapons?
Who are the leading international exporters and recipients of small arms (based on available data)?

GLOBAL INVENTORIES
How many small arms and light weapons are there in the world and who owns them?

VICTIMS AND COSTS
Who commits armed violence and how does it affect individuals and society?

INTERVENTIONS
How should armed violence reduction programmes be designed?

GLOBAL AND REGIONAL MEASURES
What global measures cover small arms and light weapons?
What regional measures cover small arms and light weapons?
What is being done to curb the proliferation of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS)?


PRODUCERS

What is the scale of global small arms production?

  • An estimated 7.5–8 million small arms are produced per year. The vast majority (about 7 million per year) consists of commercial firearms, the remainder of military-style firearms.


What is the global distribution of small arms and light weapons producers?

  • The world’s top three producing countries are the United States, the Russian Federation, and China. The countries of the European Union, if considered collectively, also constitute a top production source.
  • At least 30 countries can be regarded as significant producers of small arms.
  • More than 1,200 companies in at least 90 countries are involved in some aspect of small arms and light weapons production.
  • More than 70 countries have ammunition production facilities. (More information on ammunition.)

Which companies are the top five military small arms and light weapons manufacturers?

  • Military sidearms: Beretta (Italy), Heckler & Koch (UK/Germany), Smith & Wesson (US), Colt (US), FN Herstal (Belgium)
  • Rifles: Norinco (China), Heckler & Koch (UK/Germany), Izhmash (Russia), Colt (US), FN Herstal (Belgium)
  • Sub-machine guns: Norinco (China), Heckler & Koch (UK/Germany), Izhmash (Russia), IMI (Israel), KBP (Russia)
  • Machine guns: Norinco (China), Heckler & Koch (UK/Germany), Saco Defense (US), IMI (Israel), FN Herstal (Belgium)
  • Small arms ammunition: Sellier & Bellot (Czech Rep), Winchester Olin (US/Belgium), Nammo (Finland/Sweden/Norway), Giat (France), FN Herstal (Belgium)
  • Grenade launchers: Norinco (China), Heckler & Koch (UK/Germany), General Dynamics (US), Singapore Technologies (Singapore), KBP (Russia).

 

TRANSFERS

What is the scale of the global trade in small arms and light weapons?

  • The documented value of all small arms and light weapons exports in 2003 (as reported to UN Comtrade) was about USD 2 billion. However, research and anecdotal evidence suggests that the true value of the total authorized trade is likely about twice the reported value, or about USD 4 billion per year.
  • In 1999–2003, the global value in reported annual authorized small arms ammunition exports reached USD 700 million, but the true value is likely higher. Moreover, the reported value excludes transfers of light weapons ammunition and explosives such as grenades. (See more information on ammunition).


Who are the leading international exporters and recipients of small arms (based on available data)?

  • According to available data and estimates, the Russian Federation, the United States, Italy, Germany, Brazil, and China exported more than USD 100 million worth of small arms and light weapons in 2003 (in descending order). The same countries, plus Belgium, were the top exporters of small arms and light weapons in 2002. Exporters that are presumed to be important but about which relatively little is known include Bulgaria, China, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, and Singapore.
  • According to data released to UN Comtrade, the United States, Cyprus, and Germany imported more than USD 100 million worth of small arms and light weapons in 2003, in descending order. The list of top importers for 2002 comprised the United States, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.

 

GLOBAL INVENTORIES

How many small arms and light weapons are there in the world and who owns them?

  • The global stockpile of small arms and light weapons is estimated at 639 million.
  • According to a 2001 estimate, 59.2 per cent of the world’s small arms are held by civilians, 37.8 per cent are held by government armed forces, and the remainder by police (2.8 per cent) and insurgents and other non-state forces (0.2 per cent).

 

VICTIMS AND COSTS

Who commits armed violence and how does it affect individuals and society?

  • Young men are overwhelmingly the primary actors in contemporary armed violence—both as perpetrators and victims. A mere 6–7 per cent of young men commit 60–85 per cent of all serious crime.
  • Small arms and light weapons are responsible for the majority—between 60 and 90 per cent—of direct conflict deaths, of which there were between 80,000 and 108,000 in 2003.

  • The use of small arms also contributes to indirect conflict deaths, which are likely to be many times higher than the number of direct deaths, though they vary greatly in magnitude from conflict to conflict.
  • About 200,000–270,000 non-conflict-related firearm deaths occur each year throughout the world. These include firearm homicide, firearm suicide, and unintentional shooting deaths.
  • Globally, firearms are used in 6 per cent of suicides and in almost 40 per cent of homicides.
  • Young men—those aged 15 to 29—account for half of all global firearm homicide victims, or 70,000 to 100,000 deaths annually.
  • Small arms misuse accounts for an excessive proportion of the costs of violence. In Brazil and Colombia, medical treatment of a firearm injury costs between 1.7 and 3 times more than that of a stab wound. In addition, firearm injuries tend to affect young, potentially productive segments of the population.
  • The intent of small arms violence influences its lethality and social cost. Accidental shootings and gun assaults are less often fatal than suicide attempts, and therefore necessitate more medical expenses. On the other hand, premeditated killings and the high lethality of suicide attempts have important indirect effects, resulting, for instance, in significant losses of earnings.

 

INTERVENTIONS

How should armed violence reduction programmes be designed?

  • Targeting the most destructive weapons first, particularly in disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programmes, can help minimize armed violence in post-conflict areas.
  • Arms reduction, both in post-conflict areas and in societies at peace, is most successful when pursued as part of an integrated system of violence reduction initiatives.
  • Case studies have shown that intervention programmes work best when they are designed from the bottom up in a participatory fashion. In such cases, affected populations must feel ownership of the programme in order for it to be successful.
  • Understanding the factors that drive the demand for small arms among high-risk populations is important for designing interventions to reduce misuse.
  • Partnerships between government and civil society are critical to the implementation of many violence reduction interventions, including demand reduction initiatives.
  • Curbing young men’s access to firearms has proved an effective component of short-term strategies to reduce the number of deaths arising from youth violence. In the long run, however, violence prevention efforts need to focus on the various protective factors that seem to prevent the majority of young men from becoming involved in armed violence. These include stable home environments, decent economic options, and alternative sources of respect within communities.

 

GLOBAL AND REGIONAL MEASURES

What global measures cover small arms and light weapons?

The UN took the lead in bringing the small arms issue to international attention in the mid-1990s—establishing, for example, a Panel of Governmental Experts that developed an influential definition of small arms and light weapons (see UN information on small arms and light weapons). Yet, the first global instruments on small arms and light weapons were only finalized in 2001, when agreement was reached on the UN Programme of Action and the UN Firearms Protocol (see below).

  • The UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (2001) was adopted in July 2001. Applicable to all UN Member States, the UN Programme incorporates a series of political commitments that address many, though not all, aspects of the small arms problem. Specific issues addressed by the Programme include manufacture, transfer, brokering, stockpile management, surplus disposal, and post-conflict measures. UN meetings were subsequently held in 2003 and 2005 to consider the implementation of the Programme. The Programme’s First Review Conference, convened in June–July 2006, failed to produce an outcome document. See more information.
  • International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (2005). Developed within the framework of the UN Programme of Action, the International Tracing Instrument consolidates and advances essential standards in the areas of weapons marking and record-keeping. It also sets out detailed modalities for practical cooperation in weapons tracing. Like the UN Programme of Action, the Tracing Instrument is politically binding and applies to all UN Member States. See more information.
  • The Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition (2001), otherwise known as the UN Firearms Protocol or the Vienna Protocol, entered into force in July 2005 as a supplementary agreement to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The Firearms Protocol is legally binding, but it is fairly limited in its scope and content. Reflecting a law enforcement approach to the small arms issue, the Protocol sets standards for national systems in such areas as firearms manufacture, marking, and transfer. The Protocol applies to states that have formally ratified or acceded to the instrument. See more information.

  • The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies (1996). Bringing together most of the world’s important arms exporting countries, the Wassenaar Arrangement commits its members to greater transparency and responsibility in the transfer of small arms and light weapons, other conventional arms, and dual-use goods and technologies. Visit Wassenaar site.


What regional measures cover small arms and light weapons?

The first multilateral small arms instruments were adopted at the regional level—in the Americas (Organization of American States), Europe (European Union), and western Africa (Economic Community of West African States). Important efforts followed in other parts of Africa and the broad Euro-Atlantic region.

Key regional developments include the following:

  • In 1997, the Organization of American States adopted a treaty on illicit firearms manufacturing and trafficking which served as a model for the subsequent development of the UN Firearms Protocol (see above).
  • In 2000, the African continent agreed on a broad framework for action on small arms and light weapons (Bamako Declaration). Legally binding instruments have since been adopted at the regional level in southern, eastern, and western Africa. See more information.


What is being done to curb the proliferation of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS)?

Two UN resolutions and a number of other global and regional measures have been adopted in recent years to strengthen control over the production, transfer, and stockpiling of MANPADS. The most comprehensive set of controls has been endorsed by the Wassenaar Arrangement and OSCE. See more information.  



     
 
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