The United States has reclaimed its throne as the biggest global arms exporter over the last five years, beating Russia and China, which landed on the second and third spots, respectively.

According to the study released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States topped as the largest arm exporter between 2012 and 2016, accounting for a third of the overall exports. Exports for major weapons soared 21 percent, surpassing the overall arms trade's growth of 8.4 percent worldwide.

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China, on the other hand, increased its international sales percentage from merely 3.8 percent of the market between 2007 and 2011 to 6.2 percent of the world market from 2012 to 2016.

However, the study noted that worldwide arms trade has peaked to its highest level since the Cold War, with demands surging mostly from Middle East and Asia. In terms of volume per countries, arms imports in Asia and Oceania accounted for nearly half (43%) of the global imports, up 7.7 percent compared with the previous 2007 to 2011 period.

Demands from the Middle East and Gulf monarchies also leaped to 29 percent from just 17 percent. Europe accounted for 11 percent (down seven points), the US 8.6 percent (down 2.4 points), and Africa 8.1 percent (down 1.3 percentage points).

"Despite low oil prices, countries in the region continued to order more weapons in 2016, perceiving them as crucial tools for dealing with conflicts and regional tensions," Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher of SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program."

The United States and France remain the main weapons suppliers for  the Middle East, while Russia and China for Asia.

Tagsarms sale, weapons