The arms trade has expanded by more than 20% worldwide in the past five years, with the Middle East and Asian countries accounting for most of the increase, according to figures to be released today by the authoritative Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

The US was by far the largest arms supplier, accounting for 31% of global weapons exports over the past five years, with over a third going to the Middle East. The US also supplied 40% of Pakistan's major conventional weapons systems.

The five biggest suppliers of conventional arms were the US, Russia, Germany, France and the UK. China was the biggest recipient, followed by India, though China has recently cut its imports dramatically as it builds up its indigenous arms industry, Sipri says.

Arms sales to Middle Eastern countries rose by 38%, with their purchases including more than 200 US combat aircraft and more than 5,000 guided bombs. Britain's biggest markets for its arms were the US and India, which is receiving 66 Hawk-100 trainer aircraft and 20 Jaguar-S fighter aircraft from the UK. Delivery of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia is due to begin this year, Sipri says.

According to government figures, in the last quarter of last year Whitehall approved arms exports to Sri Lanka worth £1.4m, mainly components for communications equipment. This compares with under £1m-worth of UK arms exports to the country for the whole of 2007. "When the world needs co-operative solutions to global problems, the thriving international arms market points to a squandering of resources which the international community can ill afford," said Paul Holtom, head of Sipri's arms transfer programme.