Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country

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Map of civilian guns per 100 people by country from the Small Arms Survey 2017 World map of civilian gun ownership - 2nd color scheme.svg
Map of civilian guns per 100 people by country from the Small Arms Survey 2017

This is a list of countries by estimated number of privately owned guns per 100 people. The Small Arms Survey 2017 [1] provides estimates of the total number of civilian-owned guns in a country. It then calculates the number per 100 people. This number for a country does not indicate the percentage of the population that owns guns. This is because individuals can own more than one gun.

Contents

See also: Percent of households with guns by country. It gives the percent of households with guns. It is further broken down by the percent of households with handguns. Also, by the percent of adults living in armed households.

List of countries by estimated number of guns per 100 people

All the numbers in the main column of the table below are from the annex table of Small Arms Survey 2017. The briefing paper for it says: "Numbers provided here include all firearms in civilian hands, both licit and illicit." The annex table where all the numbers in the main column come from also includes some sub-national areas and territories such as Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, etc. [1]

"Notes" column links to notes section below the chart. The notes below the table are for additional info including additional data and alternative rates so the main column stays in descending order.

United Kingdom. [note 1] Small Arms Survey 2017 does not have a number for the UK. [1] It only provides numbers for these countries which constitute the UK: Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
Region and subregion names. Table source uses United Nations geoscheme. [3]
Computation method:

  1. survey(s) and expert estimate(s)
  2. expert estimate(s)
  3. analogous comparison

Notes

Return to top of table.

Some of the notes below refer to a previous version of the table that used numbers from Small Arms Survey 2007. [18] So some of the info below may be out of date.

  1. ↑ Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom . A GunPolicy.org page has a rate of 5.03 firearms per 100 people in 2017. 3.44 registered plus 1.59 illicit. That totals 5.03 per 100 people. [2]
  2. ↑ Flag of the United States.svg  United States . According to the Congressional Research Service, as of 2009 there were roughly twice as many guns per capita in the United States as there were in 1968: more than 300 million guns in all. [4] [5]
    The vast majority of unregistered firearms in the U.S. are lawfully unregistered; a Federal registry is prohibited by law, and only nine states impose registration requirements upon some or all firearms. See Gun laws in the United States by state for specific details.
  3. ↑ Flag of Finland.svg  Finland . 1.5 million guns in 2016 in the official registry. [6]
  4. ↑ Flag of Norway.svg  Norway . 1.49 million guns in 2017 in the official registry. [7]
  5. ↑ Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland . 876,000 guns in August 2017 in the official registries. [8]
  6. ↑ Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden . According to the Swedish National Police Agency in 2006, there were a total of 656,000 individuals who had a license for one or more guns; [9] 6.5% of the population. There were 2,032,000 guns or 21 guns per 100 residents. Of the 2,032,000 guns, 959,000 were rifles, 726,000 shotguns, 122,000 combination rifles, 88,000 pistols, 55,000 revolvers, 3,000 automatic guns and 78,000 weapons parts.
  7. ↑ Flag of Germany.svg  Germany . The number of legal guns in Germany is about 7 per 100 residents. [10] There are no reliable figures on the number of illegal guns in Germany. [11] The figure of 20 million illicit guns (≈24 per 100 residents) that is often cited on the web is an estimate attributed to the GdP, Germany's largest police union. [12] This number is wildly out of range with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's estimate on illicit guns (10% of the number of legal guns, corresponding to 0.5 million illicit guns or ≈0.7 per 100 residents). [13]
  8. ↑ Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela . The number displayed in this table is very likely a significant underestimation. The actual number of guns per 100 persons may vary to more, with an unestimated number of illegal firearms held by civilians, around to 9 to 15 million. [14]
  9. ↑ Flag of Poland.svg  Poland .The number of registered firearms in 2017 survey (380k) is taken from official data for the year 2014, [15] even if data for the year 2016 (426k) should have been already available. [16] As of 2021 there's 658k registered firearms. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gun laws and policies, collectively referred to as firearms regulation or gun control, regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Laws of some countries may afford civilians a right to keep and bear arms, and have more liberal gun laws than neighboring jurisdictions. Gun control typically restricts access to certain categories of firearms and limits the categories of persons who may be granted permission to access firearms. There may be separate licenses for hunting, sport shooting, self-defense, collecting, and concealed carry, each with different sets of requirements, privileges, and responsibilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arms trafficking</span> Illegal trafficking or smuggling of contraband weapons or ammunition

Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms, explosives, and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small arms, unlike other organized crime commodities, is more closely associated with exercising power in communities instead of achieving economic gain. Scholars estimate illegal arms transactions amount to over US$1 billion annually.

The small arms trade is the markets of both authorized and illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW), as well as their parts, accessories, and ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arms industry</span> Industrial sector which manufactures weapons and military technology and equipment

The arms industry, also known as the defense industry, military industry, or the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and other military technology to a variety of customers, including the armed forces of states and civilian individuals and organizations. Products of the arms industry include weapons, munitions, weapons platforms, communications systems, and other electronics, and related equipment. The arms industry also provides defense-related services, such as logistical and operational support. As a matter of policy, many governments of industrialized countries maintain or support a network of organizations, facilities, and resources to produce weapons and equipment for their military forces. This is often referred to as a defense industrial base. Entities involved in arms production for military purposes vary widely, and include private sector commercial firms, state-owned enterprises and public sector organizations, and scientific and academic institutions. Such entities perform a wide variety of functions, including research and development, engineering, production, and servicing of military material, equipment, and facilities. The weapons they produce are often made, maintained, and stored in arsenals.

Gun laws in Pakistan allow for the ownership of firearms in the country by the general population. Pakistan is one of the biggest open firearms markets in the world, and is in the modern era also known for its indigenous gunsmith tradition. The country is famous for producing clones of almost every notable weapon of the world. Although firearms are widely owned, heavy weaponry is permitted only in tribal areas within the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This includes the circulation of rocket-propelled grenades, short, medium, and long-range rockets, anti-aircraft guns, mortars and other types of firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun culture in the United States</span> Behaviors and attitudes about firearms in the United States

Gun culture in the United States refers to the behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs surrounding the ownership and use of firearms by private citizens. Gun ownership is deeply rooted in the country’s history and is legally protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Firearms in the U.S. are commonly used for self-defense, hunting, and recreational activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small arms and light weapons</span> Two classes of man-portable weapons

Small arms and light weapons (SALW) refers in arms control protocols to two main classes of man-portable weapons.

The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun ownership</span> Status of owning a firearm

In 2018, the Small Arms Survey reported that there are over one billion small arms distributed globally, of which 857 million are in civilian hands. The survey stated that USA civilians account for an estimated 393 million of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms, or about 120.5 firearms for every 100 American residents.

The Small Arms Survey (SAS) is an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. It provides information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence, as a resource for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and activists, as well as research on small arms issues.

In Honduras, the commerce, ownership, possession and use of firearms is regulated. Escalation in crime and the use of firearms in the commission of crimes and homicides has brought political and public discourse to consider regulation of arms.

Firearms in Thailand refers to the number and types of firearms in the country in civilian (unofficial) hands and the laws and societal norms that govern their possession and use.

Ukrainian law allows firearm ownership on may-issue basis. With approximately 10 civilian firearms per 100 people, Ukraine is the 88th most armed country in the world per capita, and 22nd overall.

Polish law allows modern firearms ownership on a general shall-issue basis under police-issued permit for people who provide an important reason. Hunting, sport shooting, training and collecting are the most popular reasons and require membership in suitable organizations. Self-defense permits for civilians are chief exceptions to the rule, where a may-issue based permit is required. Antique black powder firearms or their replicas and most air guns are available without a permit. Firearm owners are subject to mental health and domestic violence confiscation laws resembling U.S red flag laws.

Maltese law allows possession of various types of firearms on shall-issue basis. With approximately 28 civilian firearms per 100 people, Malta is the 18th most armed country in the world.

Gun laws in North Macedonia allow firearm ownership on shall-issue basis for hunters and collectors and may-issue for self-defense purposes. With approximately 30 civilian firearms per 100 people, North Macedonia is the 15th most armed country in the world.

Uruguayan law allows firearm possession on shall-issue basis. With approximately 35 civilian firearms per 100 people, Uruguay is the eighth most armed country in the world and most armed in Latin America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percent of households with guns by country</span>

This is a list of countries by the estimated percent of households with guns. It is further broken down by the estimated percent of households with handguns. Also, by the estimated percent of adults living in armed households. The data is from GunPolicy.org which is hosted by the Sydney Medical School, at the University of Sydney in Australia. GunPolicy.org consolidates this data from various sources. To avoid problems with vetting the data for hundreds of countries from hundreds of sources, the table below only uses data compiled by GunPolicy.org.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Briefing Paper. Estimating Global Civilian-Held Firearms Numbers.[ dead link ] June 2018 by Aaron Karp. Of Small Arms Survey. See box 4 on page 8 for detailed explanation of "Computation methods for civilian firearms holdings". See country table in annex PDF: Civilian Firearms Holdings, 2017. See publications home.
  2. ↑ Guns in the United Kingdom — Firearms, gun law and gun control.
  3. ↑ "M49 – Standard country or area codes for statistical use". United Nations Statistics Division . Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Guns in America, By The Numbers". National Public Radio. 5 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Gun Control Legislation" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. 14 November 2012. p. 9.
  6. ↑ "Aseiden määrä Suomessa vähenee – katso, missä ovat maan 1,5 miljoonaa asetta". Yle Uutiset. 18 January 2016.
  7. ↑ (unverifiable) "Revisjonsrapport for 2017 om politiets behandling av våpensaker" (PDF). Riksrevisjonen. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "Près de 876'000 armes recensées en Suisse". Tribune de Genève. 18 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "Arms legislation etc" (PDF) (in Swedish). National Police control ice. 31 May 2006.
  10. ↑ "Deutschland, deine Waffen". 16 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Illegale Waffe im Schrank? Zeit, sie loszuwerden Seite 2/2: Die Zahl Illegaler Waffen – nichts als eine Dunkelziffer".
  12. ↑ "Guns in Germany". Der Spiegel. 22 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Number of Privately Owned Firearms".
  14. ↑ P.G. (7 July 2014). "Crime in Venezuela: Guns and money". The Economist. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  15. ↑ "Liczba osób, którym wydano pozwolenie na broń (stan na 31 grudnia 2014 r.)" [Number of persons, who were issued a firearms license (as of 31 December 2014)](PDF) (in Polish). Polish Police. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "Liczba osób, którym wydano pozwolenie na broń (stan na 31 grudnia 2016 r.)" [Number of persons, who were issued a firearms license (as of 31 December 2016)](PDF) (in Polish). Polish Police. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Liczba osób, którym wydano pozwolenie na broń (stan na 31 grudnia 2021 r.)" [Number of persons, who were issued a firearms license (as of 31 December 2021)](PDF) (in Polish). Polish Police. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Keith Krause; Eric G. Berman, eds. (July 2022). "Small Arms Survey 2007 – Chapter 2. Completing the Count: Civilian Firearms". Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
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