Holtom, Paul and Irene Pavesi. 2017 ‘United Kingdom - Firearm Exports and Imports.’ Trade Update 2017: Out of the Shadows, pp.13-36. Geneva: Small Arms Survey, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. 11 September

Relevant contents

The United Kingdom was the largest importer of guns world-wide, classified as a 'Major Importer' (p. 13)

In UN Comtrade data, the United Kingdom was ranked fourth in the 'Major Exporters - Tier 3' category of firearm exporters (p. 17)

In UN Comtrade data, the United Kingdom was ranked ninth in the 'Top Tier - Tier 2' category of firearm importers (p. 21)

The United Kingdom ranked 5th in the global Transparency Barometer of the arms trade, scoring 19.25 out of a possible 25.0 (Table 8)

"The UK's small arms imports increased from a low of USD 70 million in 2002 to a high of USD 204 million in 2009. The average annual value of UK small arms imports from 2001 to 2014 was USD 125 million. The imports increased by 18 per cent between 2013 and 2014. In 2014, the UK imported USD 109 million worth of small arms. The country's three main trading partners that year were, in decreasing order, Italy, the United States, and Germany. " (p. 36)

"Northern Europe was the second-largest subregional importer of small arms from 2001 to 2014. The United Kingdom accounted for one-third of Northern Europe's small arms imports, strongly influencing the overall trend for Northern Europe." (p. 33)

[Editor's Note: These 2014 data are dated, as the most reliable recent year in the Survey's annual report is always three years old.]

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