LICENCES ISSUED
10,443Counted once per destination, 2025
EXPORT CONTROL JOINT UNIT / OFFICIAL STATISTICS
UK ARMS EXPORT LICENCES.
UK ARMS EXPORT LICENCES.
WHERE THE UK SELLS.
Which countries the UK issued and refused export licences for military and dual-use goods to, and the value of the licences issued, from the government’s official export control statistics. See also military aid to Ukraine and UK sanctions on Russia.
01 / THE MAP
2025 · EXPORT CONTROL JOINT UNITValue of export licences issued, by destination
REFUSED
501Most to China
VALUE ISSUED
£13.9bnLicensed value, not actual exports
DESTINATIONS
192With a licence issued or refused
- £1bn or more
- £100m to £999m
- £10m to £99m
- Under £10m
02 / COUNTRY BY COUNTRY
Every destination
| Country | Licences issued | Military | Refused | Value issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 217 | 156 | 2 | £3.07bn |
| United States of America | 803 | 411 | 9 | £2.23bn |
| Ukraine | 227 | 168 | 1 | £890.3m |
| Russia | 97 | 0 | 7 | £811.0m |
| Taiwan | 242 | 78 | 0 | £579.8m |
| Saudi Arabia | 254 | 95 | 0 | £525.2m |
| Qatar | 81 | 23 | 0 | £444.2m |
| United Arab Emirates | 291 | 101 | 1 | £443.3m |
| France | 418 | 333 | 8 | £427.6m |
| China | 652 | 22 | 313 | £372.7m |
| Romania | 34 | 29 | 1 | £346.9m |
| Germany | 396 | 274 | 0 | £304.6m |
| Vietnam | 86 | 22 | 4 | £229.7m |
| India | 692 | 288 | 7 | £196.3m |
| South Korea | 523 | 243 | 1 | £172.5m |
| Netherlands | 115 | 78 | 0 | £171.1m |
| Turkey | 392 | 237 | 10 | £153.1m |
| Canada | 154 | 90 | 0 | £139.0m |
| Israel | 163 | 86 | 16 | £134.3m |
| Belgium | 78 | 60 | 0 | £125.7m |
| Singapore | 292 | 70 | 3 | £125.0m |
| Italy | 321 | 249 | 1 | £120.7m |
| Brazil | 193 | 105 | 0 | £120.0m |
| Denmark | 46 | 31 | 0 | £113.1m |
| Sweden | 196 | 162 | 0 | £100.2m |
| Kenya | 17 | 2 | 0 | £98.3m |
| Nigeria | 71 | 9 | 0 | £86.7m |
| Japan | 97 | 39 | 1 | £75.4m |
| Kuwait | 31 | 3 | 0 | £70.0m |
| Oman | 94 | 48 | 1 | £68.1m |
| Poland | 108 | 90 | 0 | £63.5m |
| Mexico | 59 | 17 | 6 | £63.3m |
| Jordan | 44 | 24 | 0 | £58.2m |
| Norway | 183 | 147 | 0 | £53.4m |
| Switzerland | 121 | 93 | 0 | £50.0m |
| Lithuania | 27 | 23 | 0 | £49.2m |
| Malaysia | 140 | 61 | 47 | £45.8m |
| Tanzania | 17 | 1 | 0 | £40.2m |
| Indonesia | 134 | 72 | 1 | £38.7m |
| Australia | 137 | 89 | 0 | £34.2m |
| Philippines | 74 | 16 | 0 | £33.1m |
| Thailand | 84 | 18 | 1 | £26.4m |
| Portugal | 31 | 16 | 1 | £24.6m |
| Libya | 11 | 3 | 0 | £24.3m |
| South Africa | 135 | 59 | 5 | £22.0m |
| Kazakhstan | 35 | 7 | 0 | £21.7m |
| Czech Republic | 103 | 94 | 3 | £21.1m |
| Estonia | 12 | 7 | 0 | £19.8m |
| Egypt | 52 | 15 | 0 | £19.5m |
| Pakistan | 73 | 28 | 15 | £17.6m |
| Turkmenistan | 6 | 3 | 0 | £17.2m |
| Chile | 45 | 22 | 4 | £16.0m |
| Argentina | 14 | 2 | 0 | £15.1m |
| Croatia | 5 | 5 | 1 | £14.8m |
| Dominican Republic | 10 | 1 | 0 | £14.4m |
| Cambodia | 4 | 3 | 0 | £14.0m |
| Lebanon | 17 | 3 | 0 | £13.4m |
| Continental Shelf: United Kingdom sector | 45 | 0 | 0 | £12.4m |
| Colombia | 26 | 12 | 2 | £12.0m |
| Malawi | 4 | 2 | 0 | £11.6m |
| Albania | 11 | 1 | 0 | £11.2m |
| Peru | 20 | 7 | 0 | £10.9m |
| Sri Lanka | 14 | 3 | 0 | £10.3m |
| Uruguay | 20 | 10 | 0 | £9.3m |
| Paraguay | 7 | 3 | 0 | £9.2m |
| Bahrain | 41 | 15 | 0 | £8.2m |
| New Zealand | 59 | 39 | 0 | £7.9m |
| Iraq | 19 | 7 | 1 | £7.7m |
| Slovenia | 12 | 9 | 0 | £7.4m |
| Latvia | 30 | 30 | 0 | £7.4m |
| Republic of Moldova | 7 | 2 | 0 | £6.8m |
| Azerbaijan | 20 | 2 | 0 | £6.8m |
| Uzbekistan | 12 | 5 | 0 | £6.5m |
| Angola | 20 | 1 | 0 | £6.4m |
| Finland | 67 | 50 | 0 | £6.3m |
| Somalia | 4 | 2 | 0 | £6.1m |
| Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 72 | 2 | 5 | £5.6m |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 36 | 0 | 0 | £5.6m |
| Morocco | 38 | 10 | 0 | £5.3m |
| Ivory Coast | 17 | 1 | 0 | £5.1m |
| Armenia | 10 | 2 | 0 | £5.1m |
| Austria | 38 | 25 | 1 | £4.8m |
| Kosovo | 10 | 6 | 0 | £4.7m |
| Continental Shelf Irish Sector | 5 | 0 | 0 | £4.4m |
| Gibraltar | 15 | 5 | 0 | £4.3m |
| Greece | 24 | 16 | 0 | £4.2m |
| St Vincent (including the Grenadines) | 2 | 0 | 0 | £4.2m |
| Uganda | 15 | 4 | 0 | £4.1m |
| Guyana | 10 | 6 | 0 | £3.9m |
| Ireland | 55 | 34 | 0 | £3.6m |
| Serbia | 34 | 16 | 1 | £3.4m |
| Rwanda | 7 | 1 | 2 | £3.2m |
| Marshall Islands | 2 | 0 | 0 | £3.2m |
| Algeria | 10 | 3 | 0 | £3.2m |
| Continental Shelf Netherlands Sector | 3 | 0 | 0 | £3.1m |
| Slovakia | 24 | 14 | 0 | £3.1m |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 14 | 2 | 0 | £2.6m |
| Hungary | 35 | 27 | 0 | £2.5m |
| Equatorial Guinea | 4 | 0 | 0 | £2.5m |
| Costa Rica | 11 | 3 | 0 | £2.5m |
| North Macedonia | 19 | 4 | 0 | £2.4m |
| Jamaica | 6 | 2 | 0 | £2.3m |
| Panama | 9 | 1 | 0 | £2.2m |
| Madagascar | 15 | 0 | 0 | £2.0m |
| Continental Shelf Danish Sector | 3 | 0 | 0 | £2.0m |
| Luxembourg | 12 | 11 | 0 | £2.0m |
| Djibouti | 4 | 0 | 0 | £1.9m |
| Guatemala | 4 | 2 | 0 | £1.9m |
| Senegal | 7 | 1 | 0 | £1.7m |
| Ethiopia | 14 | 0 | 0 | £1.6m |
| Cyprus | 26 | 12 | 0 | £1.4m |
| Maldives | 6 | 2 | 1 | £1.2m |
| Iran | 13 | 0 | 8 | £1.1m |
| Bangladesh | 19 | 10 | 1 | £1.1m |
| Ghana | 10 | 4 | 0 | £1.1m |
| Zambia | 12 | 4 | 0 | £1.0m |
| Benin | 4 | 2 | 0 | £0.8m |
| Iceland | 12 | 8 | 0 | £0.8m |
| Namibia | 10 | 2 | 0 | £0.8m |
| Bahamas | 1 | 1 | 0 | £0.8m |
| Brunei | 21 | 16 | 0 | £0.8m |
| Papua New Guinea | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.8m |
| Liberia | 7 | 0 | 0 | £0.7m |
| Channel Islands | 42 | 34 | 0 | £0.7m |
| Montenegro | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.7m |
| British Antarctic Territory | 1 | 0 | 0 | £0.7m |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 14 | 4 | 0 | £0.6m |
| Sudan | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.6m |
| Bermuda | 7 | 0 | 0 | £0.6m |
| Kyrgyzstan | 4 | 1 | 0 | £0.6m |
| Ecuador | 11 | 3 | 0 | £0.5m |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 4 | 1 | 0 | £0.5m |
| Haiti | 1 | 1 | 0 | £0.4m |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 1 | 0 | £0.4m |
| Tunisia | 9 | 2 | 0 | £0.4m |
| Georgia | 4 | 2 | 0 | £0.4m |
| Fiji | 4 | 0 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Greenland | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Honduras | 4 | 1 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Nepal | 9 | 1 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Togo | 4 | 3 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Mongolia | 8 | 1 | 2 | £0.3m |
| Puerto Rico | 8 | 3 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Botswana | 14 | 3 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Andorra | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Mauritania | 3 | 1 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Bulgaria | 15 | 9 | 0 | £0.3m |
| Chad | 3 | 3 | 0 | £0.2m |
| Falkland Islands | 4 | 2 | 0 | £0.2m |
| Seychelles | 8 | 3 | 0 | £0.2m |
| Republic of Congo | 10 | 0 | 0 | £0.2m |
| Malta | 15 | 13 | 0 | £0.2m |
| Barbados | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.2m |
| Cayman Islands | 7 | 1 | 0 | £0.2m |
| French Overseas Territory | 4 | 3 | 0 | £0.2m |
| Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten | 3 | 1 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Mozambique | 6 | 2 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Venezuela | 1 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Antarctica | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Sierra Leone | 3 | 0 | 1 | £0.1m |
| Belize | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Syria | 3 | 2 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Mauritius | 8 | 4 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Yemen | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Republic of Guinea | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Monaco | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Aruba | 4 | 1 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Macao | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Gabon | 6 | 3 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Anguilla | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Mali | 5 | 0 | 0 | £0.1m |
| Isle of Man | 1 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| British Virgin Islands | 3 | 1 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Tajikistan | 2 | 2 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Belarus | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Cook Islands | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 2 | 1 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Central African Republic | 2 | 1 | 0 | £0.0m |
| East Timor | 1 | 1 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Burkina Faso | 4 | 1 | 1 | £0.0m |
| Bolivia | 1 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| North Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | £0.0m |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Niger | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Bhutan | 1 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Gambia | 1 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Surinam | 3 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| St Lucia | 1 | 1 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Cameroon | 1 | 0 | 0 | £0.0m |
| Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | £0.0m |
| Myanmar | 0 | 0 | 3 | £0.0m |
Russia’s value is mostly two licences for nuclear materials; the rest were issued under the UK’s Russia sanctions rules.
Where the figures come from
UK Arms Export Licences: common questions
Does the UK sell arms to Israel?
In 2025 the UK issued 200 standard export licences for Israel, 86 of them covering military goods, and refused 16. The table shows the figures for every destination.
Which country does the UK export most arms to?
By the value of licences issued in 2025, Spain and the United States top the list; much of Spain’s value is for non-military, dual-use goods. By number of licences, the United States, India and China lead.
Why does Russia have export licences?
Most of the value is two licences for nuclear materials; others were issued under the rules of the UK’s Russia sanctions. A licence is permission to export, not a record of what was sent.
What is a dual-use licence?
Some goods, such as certain electronics, chemicals or software, have both civilian and military uses, so they need a licence. The “Military” column counts licences that include military goods.
Is the value of licences what was actually exported?
No. It is the value companies applied to export under the licences issued; actual exports are usually lower.