India was the world's top importer of military hardware between 2018 and 2022, even as the Narendra Modi government launched the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign for self-reliance in many areas including defence.
India's weapons imports fell 11% between 2013-17 and 2018-22, but the country remained the top buyer of foreign military products, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on 13 March 2023.
The other largest importers were Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, and China.
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