Symbolic photo.

India remains the world's top arms importer, although its imports declined by 11 percent between 2013-17 and 2018-22.

This information was given in a report released on Monday by Stockholm-based think tank 'Sipari'.

The report said that Ukraine became the world's third-largest arms importer last year after receiving military aid from the US and Europe following the Russian invasion.

Pieter Wegemann, a senior research fellow at Sipri, said that on the one hand, where there was a decline in arms imports last year, there was a spurt in arms purchases in European countries due to rising tensions with Russia.

The decline in India's arms imports is related to a complex procurement process, diversification of arms suppliers and preference for domestic designs over imports, the report said.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that the world's five largest arms importers during the year 2018-22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China.

According to the report, the five largest arms exporters include the US, Russia, France, China and Germany.

The report said imports by Pakistan, the world's eighth largest arms importer, increased by 14 per cent during 2018-22, with China being its main supplier.

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