Annual Israeli arms sales reached a new record in 2024, for the fourth consecutive year, amounting to double the value of exports of five years ago, according to Defense Ministry figures released Wednesday.
The ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate, known as SIBAT, said defense exports totaled nearly $14.8 billion last year, up from $13 billion in 2023 — the previous record high. Between 2018 and 2020, that number hovered between $7.5 billion and $8.5 billion.
Ministry officials said they were increasingly concerned that some governments, especially in Western Europe, were canceling weapon deals with Israel or otherwise sanctioning Israeli defense firms over the war in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, Spain canceled the purchase of anti-tank missile systems with an estimated value of 285 million euros from a subsidiary of Israel’s Rafael defense firm.
Despite the concerns, the number of weapon sales has continued to rise.
“This is the highest figure ever recorded and the fourth consecutive year in which a new record was set for Israel’s defense exports,” the ministry said.
With the outbreak of war with the Hamas terror group on October 7, 2023, the Defense Ministry said it began operating in an “emergency mode,” with defense contractors being drafted to the war effort by manufacturing weaponry and equipment for the Israel Defense Forces around the clock, alongside orders for foreign clients.
“The unprecedented operational achievements, along with the combat experience gained by Israeli developments during the war, created high demand for Israeli technology among many countries,” the ministry said.
Air defense systems, missiles, and rockets made up the largest chunk of exports at 48 percent — up from 36% in 2023, according to the ministry’s figures
Vehicles amounted to 9% of arms sales; satellites and related equipment were 8%; radar and electronic warfare systems were 8%; and manned aircraft and avionics were another 8%.
While Israel is known for cyber-intelligence systems, these only amounted to 4% of all sales in 2024. Officials did not specify which countries they were sold to. Israeli sales of such technologies have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years due to allegations that they were used by some countries to spy on political dissidents and journalists.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, weapons launchers and firearms, observation systems, optoelectronics, communication systems, maritime systems, ammunition, and services accounted for much of the rest.
Europe was the largest purchaser of Israeli defense goods, buying 54% of the total exports in 2024 — up from 35% in 2023 — followed by the Asia-Pacific region at 23%.
Ministry officials attributed the increase in demand for Israeli-made weapons from European countries to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 agreements known as the Abraham Accords, accounted for 12% of the arms purchases — up from 3% in 2023.
North America accounted for 9%, Latin America for 1%, and Africa for 1%. These figures have stayed relatively stable in recent years.
According to the ministry, 56.8% of the exports were in deals worth over $100 million. 9.5% of the deals were worth $50-100 million; 16.3% were worth $50-10 million; and 17.4% were worth less than $10 million.
“Notably in a difficult and complex year of war, Israel is breaking an all-time record in defense exports,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz in remarks provided by the ministry.
“This tremendous achievement is a direct result of the successes of the IDF and the defense industries against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the ayatollah regime in Iran, and in other arenas where we operate against Israel’s enemies,” he said.
“The world sees Israeli strength and seeks to be a partner to it,” Katz added.