The relationship between society and small arms is changing the world over. Small arms are virtually everywhere.
- Civilians own approximately 650 million firearms worldwide, roughly 75 per cent of the known total.
- There are at least 875 million combined civilian, law enforcement, and military firearms in the world today.
- This is equal to roughly one gun for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, the figure drops to about one gun for every ten people.
- Nearly 79 million civilian firearms are known to be registered with authorities, roughly 9 percent of the suspected civilian total.
- Organized destruction projects have eliminated at least 8.5 million small arms since 1991, three-quarters of which came from armed services. An unknown number are also lost through accidental wastage.
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The annual Small Arms Survey estimates the number of firearms and small weapons in circulation around the world. According to Small Arms Survey 2007, here are the top ten countries for civilian gun ownership.
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10. Yemen
- Number of firearms: 11.5 million
- 32-90 firearms per 100 people
9. Russia
- Number of firearms: 12.7 million
- 5-13 firearms per 100 people
8. Brazil
- Number of firearms: 15.8 million
- 8.8 firearms per 100 people
7. Mexico
- Number of firearms: 15.5 million
- 15 firearms per 100 people
6. Pakistan
- Number of firearms: 18.0 million
- 12 firearms per 100 people
5. France
- Number of firearms: 19.0 million
- 30-34 firearms per 100 people
4. Germany
- Number of firearms: 25.0 million
- 24-36 firearms per 100 people
3. China
- Number of firearms: 40 million
- 2.3-3.9 firearms per 100 people
2. India
- Number of firearms: 46 million
- 3-5.6 firearms per 100 people
1. USA
- Number of firearms: 270.0 million
- 83-97 firearms per 100 people
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