Germany’s record arms sales in 2024 contrast with sharp decline in 2025

In the first quarter of 2025, Germany’s arms and military equipment sales saw a dramatic drop of approximately 71 percent compared to the same period in 2024. 

According to a statement from the German Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, the government approved the sale of arms and military equipment worth 1.5 billion euros in the first quarter of this year, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

This is a significant reduction from the 5.2 billion euros in arms sales approved during the same period last year, marking a drop of about 71 percent.

The country that received the largest portion of Germany's arms exports was Ukraine, currently embroiled in conflict with Russia. The German government authorized the sale of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine valued at 573 million euros, making it the top recipient.

Following Ukraine, the next largest recipients of German arms were Qatar, which received 166.6 million euros worth of weapons, Estonia at 112 million euros, and Slovakia at 66.7 million euros.

Israel ranked 11th on the list of countries receiving German arms and military equipment, with sales totaling around 28 million euros in the first quarter of 2025. However, in 2024, Germany’s arms exports to Israel reached 161.1 million euros.

Interestingly, there was no mention in the report about arms exports to Israel through third countries, which could potentially complicate the full scope of these transactions.

In 2024, the German government authorized a record amount of arms and military equipment exports, totaling approximately 13.33 billion euros. This marked the highest level of arms sales for Germany in a single year.