20 Companies Profiting the Most From War

The grim reality of civil wars in the Middle East, rising tensions between global powers, the spectre of international terrorism, and the increasing threat of cyberattacks are matters of grave concern for world leaders and citizens alike — and the lifeblood of some companies.

In the context of a seemingly ever-more dangerous world, revenue from arms and military services at the world’s 100 largest defense contractors totalled $374.8 billion in 2016, a 1.9% uptick from the previous year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Maintaining a cutting edge, state-of-the-art arsenal can act as a powerful deterrent against aggressors and can change the outcome of a conflict — and governments across the globe invest accordingly. Sales of defense contractor Lockheed Martin to the U.S. government alone totalled $35.2 billion in 2017, more than the annual budgets of many federal agencies — including the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 20 companies with the highest revenue from arms sales in 2016 based on the Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies report from SIPRI. While the companies on this list span Russia and Western Europe, the United States is home to the vast majority of the largest defense contractors.

Click here to see the 20 companies profiting the most from war.

Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.