What SIPRI does

SIPRI — the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute — is an independent, non-profit international research institute established in 1966 under Swedish law (Stiftelsen Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, organisation number 802006-2660) and headquartered in Solna, Sweden. It conducts open-source research on conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament, and disseminates its work to governments, defense and foreign ministries, multilateral organizations, academic institutions, media, and civil society. The institute operates a portfolio of core data assets, including the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database (data back to 1949), the SIPRI Arms Industry Database, the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, and the SIPRI Multilateral Peace Operations Database, complemented by interactive data visualizations (e.g., World Nuclear Forces, Global Nuclear Weapon Inventories map).

SIPRI's product surface spans flagship serial publications — most prominently the annual SIPRI Yearbook (since 1969), Policy Briefs, Fact Sheets, SIPRI Insights, and the Annual Review — alongside topical research programmes (Arms and Military Expenditure; Dual-Use and Arms Trade Control; Weapons of Mass Destruction; Emerging Military and Security Technologies; Peace Operations and Conflict Management; Climate, Peace and Security; regional groupings for Africa, Asia, Europe, MENA, and Latin America), convening events (Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development, Stockholm Security Conference, SIPRI Lectures), multimedia content (SIPRI Films, RSS feeds, podcasts/video), and EU-funded consortium activity (EUNPDC). The underlying "technology" layer is a curated open-source data platform rather than a software product: data is published freely for non-commercial use with attribution, while commercial reuse requires licensing and royalty payment coordinated through SIPRI Publications.

SIPRI's revenue model is characteristic of a grant-funded research foundation: the institute does not disclose its budget, but its income is sourced from government and foundation grants (including EU project funding for EUNPDC and emerging-tech work), donations collected via donate.sipri.org, sales of the SIPRI Yearbook and other publications (including translated editions), and commercial licensing royalties for data and visualizations used in business or paid research services. Headcount sits in the 101-250 band, with named senior researchers and programme directors across each thematic cluster, supported by a communications function led by a Director of Communications. SIPRI is GDPR-compliant as a data controller, has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and no patents or trademarks recorded in the input data.

Name

SIPRI

Legal name

Stiftelsen Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Website

https://sipri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SIPRI is an independent Swedish non-profit research institute founded in 1966 that provides open-source data, analysis, and annual reference publications on global conflict, military spending, arms transfers, and disarmament for governments, academia, media, and international organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Security Research and Policy Analysis

NAICS

International Affairs (928120)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Arms control research
• Military expenditure data
• Security policy analysis
• Arms transfers tracking
• Conflict research

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: SIPRI accepts donations to support its independent research activities. The organization operates a donation portal at donate.sipri.org and relies on external funding to maintain its independence as a research institute.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

SIPRI is an independent international research institute that produces open-source data, analysis, and policy recommendations on conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament. Its core outputs include the annual SIPRI Yearbook, specialized databases on military expenditure, arms transfers, the arms industry, and peace operations, as well as interactive data visualizations and policy publications aimed at governments, researchers, media, and international organizations.

Product overview

SIPRI is an independent international research institute offering a portfolio of databases, publications, and data visualization tools focused on conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament. The core offerings include the annual SIPRI Yearbook publication, the SIPRI Databases platform (encompassing Military Expenditure, Arms Industry, and Arms Transfers databases), and interactive data visualizations including World Nuclear Forces and Global Nuclear Weapon Inventories maps. Research is organized through specialized programmes covering Arms and Military Expenditure, Dual-Use and Arms Trade Control, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Emerging Military and Security Technologies, Peace Operations and Conflict Management, and Climate and Security. Additional outputs include Policy Briefs, Fact Sheets, SIPRI Insights publications, and multimedia content through SIPRI Films. The institute also hosts the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SIPRI Yearbook SIPRI's flagship annual publication offering a comprehensive overview of international security, weapons and technology, military expenditure, arms production and trade, armed conflicts, and efforts to control conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Used by governments, researchers, and media as an authoritative reference.
• SIPRI Databases

Quantifiable outcome

• SIPRI data tracked $2.9 trillion in global military spending in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): UK-based independent think tank on defense and security, producing research and events for governments and the defense community. Comparable to SIPRI in non-profit model, defense-research focus, and audience of policymakers and defense professionals.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): Independent policy institute headquartered in London covering international affairs including security, conflict, and arms control. Comparable to SIPRI in mission scope, non-profit status, and policy-research orientation toward governments and multilateral institutions.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: U.S. private nonprofit producing research and analysis on international peace, security, and arms control. Comparable to SIPRI in mission, non-profit structure, and focus on diplomacy and non-proliferation policy work.
• International Crisis Group: Independent nonprofit working to prevent wars and shape policy through field-based analysis of conflicts worldwide. Comparable to SIPRI in non-profit structure, donor dependence, and policy-research output oriented toward governments and multilateral institutions.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): London-based independent institute producing strategic analysis, the Military Balance, and the Armed Conflict Survey. Directly comparable to SIPRI as a peer security think tank with annual reference publications and a global subscriber base across governments and defense firms.
• Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP): German Institute for International and Security Affairs, providing policy advice to the Bundestag and federal government on foreign and security policy. Closely comparable to SIPRI in European institutional positioning, security-research mandate, and non-profit governance.
• French Institute of International Relations (IFRI): Paris-based independent research center on international relations and security. Comparable to SIPRI as a European, non-profit policy-research institute with research programs on defense, proliferation, and emerging security technologies.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Washington-based bipartisan policy research organization covering defense, security, and international affairs. Directly comparable to SIPRI in policy-research output, frequent government briefings, and use of proprietary data products on arms and security topics.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: U.S.-based global policy research organization with a substantial defense and security research portfolio. Overlaps with SIPRI on security analysis but is significantly larger, has a broader topic mandate, and serves U.S. government clients with proprietary contracts.
• Brookings Institution: U.S. think tank producing in-depth research across foreign policy, defense, and international economics. Comparable to SIPRI in non-profit policy-research mission but broader in topic scope and significantly larger in endowment and headcount.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sipriorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sipri

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SIPRI