Ukraine, with €3.3bn, has become the largest importer of German arms in 2023, and Germany is close to the record

Germany could set a record for arms exports at the end of 2023. The value since the beginning of the year already exceeds the total exports for the whole of 2022.

Here's What We Know

The German government approved €8.76bn worth of arms exports between January and September this year, €0.41bn more than for the whole of last year. There is not much left to the record. The figure was higher only in 2021 - €9.35bn.

Of course, the war in Ukraine was a catalyst for export growth. However, during the reign of Angela Merkel, who was in power for 16 years, this amount exceeded the €6bn mark only once.

The main importer was, of course, Ukraine. It received €3.3bn worth of German arms, twice as much as Hungary (~€1bn) and the US (~€0.47bn) combined. 90% of exports went to NATO, EU and allied countries, including Ukraine and the Republic of Korea.

(€1 = $1,05)

Source: Der Spiegel