Small arms and light weapons refer to a broad category of firearms designed primarily for individual use or for use by small groups, such as military units, law enforcement agencies and private security forces. Small arms typically include handguns, rifles, submachine guns and personal defense weapons, while light weapons cover heavy machine guns, automatic cannons, howitzers, mortars of less than 100 mm caliber, grenade launchers, anti-tank weapons and launchers and portable launchers of anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.
The small arms and light weapons market consists of sales of small arms and light weapons by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that produce small arms and light weapons used by various end-user sectors such as military and defense, law enforcement, civil and commercial. Small arms include pistol, revolver, rifles, shotgun and other small arms.
The global small arms and light weapons market was valued at $7645.91 million in 2019 which grew till 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 4.00%.
Increasing Defense Budget
The increasing defense budget drove the growth of the small arms and light weapons market during the historic period. With rising defense budgets, governments are increasingly investing in the procurement of small arms and light weapons, including rifles, handguns, machine guns and related ammunition-to equip their military, law enforcement and border security forces. This upward trend is driven by efforts to modernize aging arsenals with advanced, modular and lightweight weaponry, as well as by expanding tactical capabilities in response to counterterrorism needs and growing geopolitical tensions that necessitate broader military readiness. For instance, in April 2023, according to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), a Sweden-based international organization, in 2022, the total amount spent on military spending worldwide climbed by 3.7% in real terms, hitting a record $2240 billion. China's military budget also increased for the 26th year in a row. Therefore, the increasing defense budget supported the growth of the small arms and light weapons market.
New Advanced Defense Facilities To Boost Weapon Production
Major companies operating in the small arms and light weapons market are focusing on expanding domestic production capabilities and investing in advanced manufacturing infrastructure to meet growing defense demands. The companies are looking to setting up advanced high-tech facilities to strengthen self-reliance, drive innovation, and enable the swift deployment of next-generation weapon systems. For instance, in February 2025, NIBE Limited, an India-based engineering and manufacturing company that operates in defense sector inaugurated a new Missiles & Small Arms Complex in Pune, marking a significant step in strengthening India's defense manufacturing capabilities. The facility is designed to produce a range of advanced weaponry, including guided missiles and next-generation small arms for military and law enforcement use. With state-of-the-art infrastructure and precision engineering capabilities, the complex aligns with India's "Make in India" and defense self-reliance initiatives. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and modern infrastructure, the complex will focus on research, assembly and testing of high-precision defense equipment.
The global small arms and light weapons market is fairly concentrated, with large players operating in the market. The top 10 competitors in the market made up 27.65% of the total market in 2023.
Small Arms And Light Weapons Global Market Opportunities And Strategies To 2034 from The Business Research Company provides the strategists; marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global small arms and light weapons market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down.
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Where is the largest and fastest-growing market for small arms and light weapons? How does the market relate to the overall economy; demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The small arms and light weapons market global report from The Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics; size and growth; segmentation; regional and country breakdowns; competitive landscape; market shares; trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's history and forecasts market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider small arms and light weapons market; and compares it with other markets.
The report covers the following chapters
- Introduction and Market Characteristics- Brief introduction to the segmentations covered in the market, definitions and explanations about the segment by type, by action, by caliber, by firing systems and by end-user sector.
- Key Trends- Highlights the major trends shaping the global market. This section also highlights likely future developments in the market.
- Growth Analysis And Strategic Analysis Framework- Analysis on PESTEL, end use industries, market growth rate, global historic (2019-2024) and forecast (2024-2029, 2034F) market values and drivers and restraints that support and control the growth of the market in the historic and forecast periods, forecast growth contributors and total addressable market (TAM).
- Global Market Size And Growth- Global historic (2019-2024) and forecast (2024-2029, 2034F) market values and drivers and restraints that support and control the growth of the market in the historic and forecast periods.
- Regional And Country Analysis- Historic (2019-2024) and forecast (2024-2029, 2034F) market values and growth and market share comparison by region and country.
- Market Segmentation- Contains the market values (2019-2024) (2024-2029, 2034F) and analysis for each segment by type, by action, by caliber, by firing systems and by end-user sector in the market. Historic (2019-2024) and forecast (2024-2029) and (2029-2034) market values and growth and market share comparison by region market.
- Regional Market Size and Growth- Regional market size (2024), historic (2019-2024) and forecast (2024-2029, 2034F) market values and growth and market share comparison of countries within the region. This report includes information on all the regions Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa and major countries within each region.
- Competitive Landscape- Details on the competitive landscape of the market, estimated market shares and company profiles of the leading players.
- Other Major And Innovative Companies- Details on the company profiles of other major and innovative companies in the market.
- Competitive Benchmarking- Briefs on the financials comparison between major players in the market.
- Competitive Dashboard- Briefs on competitive dashboard of major players.
- Key Mergers and Acquisitions- Information on recent mergers and acquisitions in the market is covered in the report. This section gives key financial details of mergers and acquisitions which have shaped the market in recent years.
- Recent Developments- Information on recent developments in the market covered in the report.
- Market Opportunities And Strategies- Describes market opportunities and strategies based on findings of the research, with information on growth opportunities across countries, segments and strategies to be followed in those markets.
- Conclusions And Recommendations- This section includes recommendations for small arms and light weapons providers in terms of product/service offerings geographic expansion, marketing strategies and target groups.
- Appendix- This section includes details on the NAICS codes covered, abbreviations and currencies codes used in this report.
Markets Covered:
- 1) By Type: Small Arms; Light Weapons
- 2) By Action: Manual; Semi-Automatic; Automatic
- 3) By Caliber: 14.5 Millimeter (mm); 9 mm; 12.7 mm; 5.56 mm; 7.62 mm; More Than 14.5 mm
- 4) By Firing Systems: Gas Operated; Manual; Recoil Operated
- 5) By End-User Sector: Law Enforcement; Military And Defense; Civil And Commercial
- Companies Mentioned: Smith & Wesson Brands Inc.; Sturm, Ruger & Co.; General Dynamics Corp.; SIG Sauer Inc.; Heckler & Koch GmbH
- Countries: China; Australia; India; Indonesia; Japan; South Korea; USA; Canada; Brazil; France; Germany; UK; Italy; Spain; Russia
- Regions: Asia-Pacific; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; North America; South America; Middle East; Africa
- Time-series: Five years historic and ten years forecast.
- Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets; GDP proportions; expenditure per capita; small arms and light weapons indicators comparison.
- Data segmentations: country and regional historic and forecast data; market share of competitors; market segments.
- Sourcing and Referencing: Data and analysis throughout the report is sourced using end notes.