An estimated 2 million people were working in the arms trafficking industry in 2006.
Tag: Arms Trafficking
Information and statistics on the global arms trafficking industry. Contains financial data and other relevant market figures on the international arms trafficking business.
Global small arms circulation
In 2004, an estimated 639 million small arms were circulating around the world. Source: Rachel Stohl, ” The Tangled Web of Illicit Arms Trafficking,” Center for American Progress, October 14, 2004, (accessed: November 15, 2006).
AK-47s in circulation worldwide
There are an estimated 70 to 100 million AK-47s in circulation worldwide.
AK-47 price in the Niger Delta
Due to an increase in supply, the price of an AK-47 dropped from $250 to $75 in the Niger Delta over an 18 month period.
Number of guns stolen or lost eacy year
Worldwide, an estimated one million small arms are either lost or stolen each year and often end up for sale in the black market.
Half a million weapons lost from small-scale burglary in US
Source: Rachel Stohl, “The Tangled Web of Illicit Arms Trafficking,” Center for American Progress, October 14, 2004, (accessed: November 15, 2006).
60 percent of illegal small arms started out as legal transfers
Source: Larry Kahaner, AK-47: The Weapon That Changed The Face Of War, (New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2007), pg. 177.
Price for AK-47s in Iraq
In Iraq, the prices of small arms have increased since the U.S. invasion. According to a report by the New York Times, Kalashnikovs were priced between $75 to $150 in early 2003. By late 2006, the prices increased to the range of $210 to $650. In some areas of Iraq, the price has increased to $800, with compact Kalashnikovs favored by Osama bin Laden selling for as much as $2000.
Cost to Buy AK-47 Bullets in Iraq
According to charity Oxfam, bullets are being sold on the black market in Iraq at a cost of 15 cents to 45 cents per bullet. Worldwide, up to10 to 14 billion bullets are produced, an average of 33 million per day. The market in small arms ammunition is worth between $2 to $3 Billion per… Continue reading Cost to Buy AK-47 Bullets in Iraq
Price of Rocket Propelled Launcher in Iraq
In 2007, a rocket propelled grenade launder was being sold on the black market in in Iraq for $100. Grenades for the launder were being sold to insurgents for $50 per grenade. The Russian model of the Ak-47 was being sold for close to $500 in 2007. Back in 2003, the gun was being sold… Continue reading Price of Rocket Propelled Launcher in Iraq