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Gun Ownership by Country 2024

Gun ownership varies significantly around the world. More than 175 of the world's countries allow their citizens to own firearms—though most have specific regulations on ownership, such as banning certain types of firearms. Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States have gone one step further and made gun ownership a constitutional right. That said, even those countries may place limits on certain types of firearms, such as when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a temporary ban on certain assault rifles and high-capacity magazines from 1994-2004. On the other hand, civilian ownership of firearms is banned outright in North Korea and Eritrea.

The most recent comprehensive survey of gun ownership worldwide was released in 2017 by the Small Arms Survey, which tallied the number of firearms (registered and unregistered) owned by civilians, the military, and law enforcement agencies for each country in the survey. The results were illuminating, though not entirely surprising for many experts on firearms policy:

Top 10 Countries with Highest Gun Ownership (Civilian guns owned per 100 people):

Country
Rate*
United States120.50
Falkland Islands62.10
Yemen52.80
New Caledonia42.50
Serbia39.10
Montenegro39.10
Canada34.70
Uruguay34.70
Cyprus34
Finland32.40

With 120.5 civilian-owned firearms per 100 people, the United States has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world—nearly double that of the second-place country, in fact. Civilians owned an estimated 393,347,000 total firearms in the United States in 2017 (measured against a 2017 population of 326,474,000). While many U.S. residents own no guns at all, many others own multiple guns—the end result of which is that the U.S. is home to more guns than people. An ABC News article about the survey pointed out that the U.S. has "less than 5% of the world's population, but 40% of the world's civilian-owned guns." Given the ongoing frequency of gun violence in the United States, particularly gun-enabled suicides and mass shootings in schools, places of worship, and businesses, many people believe that gun laws should be revised and tightened. However, gun control is a highly politicized issue in the U.S., which makes nationwide reforms difficult to pass.

Some of the countries with the most restrictive firearm laws are China, India, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam. Taiwan and Indonesia have the lowest gun ownership rates possible, with zero civilian firearms per 100 people. Guns, however, are not banned in either of these countries. Taiwan only allows shotguns, handguns, and regular rifles, and a background check and license are required for all guns. In Indonesia, firearms are sold and handled by the Weapons Officers of the Indonesian National Police. Indonesian law requires a background check, no ties or connections to radical groups, and a completed firearms safety class on top of other necessary qualifications.

* Rate is per 100 people. Only firearms in civilian possession are counted.

Download Table Data

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Country
Total Firearms (Civilian)
Rate* (guns per 100 people)
Military Firearms
Law Enforcement Firearms
United States393.3M120.504,535,3801,016,000
Falkland Islands2K62.1030
Yemen14.9M52.8028,500
New Caledonia115K42.50700
Serbia2.7M39.10384,42253,100
Montenegro245K39.105,3968,000
Canada12.7M34.70233,949103,000
Uruguay1.2M34.7062,13030,000
Cyprus285K3499,00011,000
Finland1.8M32.40475,03014,000
Lebanon1.9M31.90130,15041,000
Iceland106K31.70650590
Bosnia and Herzegovina1.2M31.2027,30029,000
Austria2.6M30240,88037,900
North Macedonia621K29.8029,53021,000
Norway1.5M28.80188,64613,000
Liechtenstein11K28.80200
Malta119K28.305,5471,637
Switzerland2.3M27.60324,48434,000
New Zealand1.2M26.3038,28013,000
Sweden2.3M23.10139,18038,000
Pakistan43.9M22.302,315,480944,000
Greenland13K22.30300
Portugal2.2M21.30333,64089,000
Germany15.8M19.60483,016466,000
France12.7M19.60566,430497,000
Iraq7.6M19.60611,00056,000
Reunion171K19.602,000
French Guiana55K19.602,000
Monaco7K19.601,000
Luxembourg110K18.902,3405,000
Bahamas74K18.802,4705,000
Jordan1.5M18.70286,45060,000
Venezuela5.9M18.50353,300173,000
Greece1.9M17.60642,51099,000
Saudi Arabia5.5M16.70481,350214,000
United Arab Emirates1.6M16.70163,80041,000
Paraguay1.1M16.70235,78021,000
Oman792K16.70118,36031,000
Kuwait685K16.7082,58011,000
Qatar390K16.7030,6805,000
United States Virgin Islands18K16.60300
Turkey13.2M16.501,390,180620,000
Suriname88K15.905,9852,000
Guyana122K15.8010,8904,000
Slovenia324K15.60131,68613,000
Namibia396K15.4011,88015,000
Thailand10.3M15.101,052,815230,000
Australia3.6M14.50214,52069,000
Italy8.6M14.40502,960273,000
San Marino5K14.40160
Honduras1.2M14.10107,72029,000
Andorra10K14.10976
Croatia576K13.7075,12039,000
Lithuania385K13.6081,24017,000
Libya851K13.30
Mexico16.8M12.90895,285591,000
Bahrain181K12.8025,79620,000
Belgium1.5M12.7080,88078,000
Afghanistan4.3M12.50331,170239,000
Czech Republic1.3M12.50157,23376,000
Equatorial Guinea112K12.502,7602,000
Somalia1.1M12.4037,6208,000
Russia17.6M12.3030,272,9002,432,000
Chile2.2M12.10311,90066,000
Guatemala2.1M12.10160,60043,000
El Salvador737K12127,84030,000
Albania350K1221,75019,000
Guam20K11.50500
Angola3M11.20203,30060,000
Panama436K10.8030,000
Hungary1M10.50147,88017,000
Latvia205K10.5027,93617,000
Colombia5M10.10350,689283,000
Georgia402K10.1063,95041,000
Samoa20K10.10500
Costa Rica493K1017,000
Belize37K103,6902,000
Ukraine4.4M9.906,600,000289,000
Denmark567K9.90124,12020,000
South Africa5.4M9.70350,636250,481
South Sudan1.3M9.60351,500
Cayman Islands6K9.20400
Jamaica246K8.808,68112,000
Guadeloupe40K8.502,000
Martinique34K8.501,000
Saint Martin3K8.50100
Bulgaria590K8.40176,64059,400
Brazil17.5M8.301,316,300803,000
Mauritius106K8.304,84511,000
Syria1.5M8.20655,500124,000
Ghana2.3M818,60028,000
Tonga9K8200
Mongolia242K7.90323,4007,000
Spain3.5M7.50333,660264,196
Argentina3.3M7.40679,770391,000
Dominican Republic795K7.40106,49546,000
Iran5.9M7.303,333,55098,000
Ireland342K7.2026,6363,000
Israel557K6.701,016,90041,000
Sudan2.8M6.60590,170129,000
Slovakia355K6.5033,15043,000
Gambia137K6.501,0805,000
Maldives23K6.209,5003,000
Dominica5K6.20600
Belarus581K6.10780,600165,000
Armenia186K6.10509,24018,000
Cape Verde31K5.7019,000
Antigua and Barbuda5K5.40438800
Montserrat3005.4090
India71.1M5.303,900,0001,700,000
Nicaragua323K5.20261,8008,590
United Kingdom3.6M5.10539,68046,000
Estonia65K538,76018,000
Morocco1.7M4.80588,02091,000
Lesotho105K4.802,4005,000
Grenada5K4.601,000
Bermuda3K4.60500
Mozambique1.3M4.5060,00024,000
Cambodia717K4.50258,67064,000
Ivory Coast1M4.4033,04515,000
Sint Maarten2K4.20300
Egypt3.9M4.101,544,7501,530,000
Botswana97K4.1017,10011,000
Seychelles4K4.10798200
Gibraltar1K4.10600
Vanuatu11K3.90350
China49.7M3.6027,466,4001,971,000
Philippines3.8M3.60454,700139,043
Azerbaijan362K3.60537,92018,000
Hong Kong265K3.6028,000
Macau22K3.60
Barbados10K3.501,6752,000
Gabon61K3.405,6404,000
Sao Tome and Principe7K3.40570300
Saint Lucia6K3.40831
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines4K3.40854
Saint Kitts and Nevis2K3.40450
Turks and Caicos Islands1K3.30100
Nigeria6.2M3.20224,200362,400
Trinidad and Tobago43K3.207,6959,000
Djibouti28K3.1019,8555,000
Laos215K3224,69021,000
Moldova121K398,60021,000
Kazakhstan504K2.80375,69065,000
Zimbabwe455K2.8091,58023,000
Kyrgyzstan171K2.80145,01018,000
Mauritania120K2.8022,82010,000
Romania506K2.60240,180251,000
Netherlands442K2.60108,67696,000
Haiti291K2.6038015,000
Curacao4K2.60600
Aruba3K2.60700
Northern Mariana Islands1K2.6080
Poland968K2.50307,200188,000
French Polynesia7K2.50400
Sri Lanka494K2.40509,700134,000
Ecuador402K2.40253,66841,000
Republic of the Congo119K2.4012,00011,000
Algeria877K2.10637,720363,000
Cameroon510K2.1027,36015,000
Cuba234K2.10958,10042,000
Liberia97K2.102,5205,000
Peru633K2473,400142,000
Senegal323K216,3206,000
Burundi238K275,96024,278
Bolivia218K287,59042,000
Central African Republic94K1.808,58010,000
Vietnam1.6M1.603,829,200285,000
Myanmar877K1.60788,90076,600
Kenya750K1.5045,79051,527
Nepal444K1.50183,54062,000
Guinea Bissau29K1.5010,2604,000
Comoros12K1.506002,000
Brunei6K1.4020,2204,000
DR Congo946K1.20161,10046,000
Tuvalu1001.2026
Mali206K1.1015,8003,000
Tunisia123K1.1068,02073,000
Palestine56K1.1044,41033,000
Chad151K125,02034,000
Guinea130K123,08013,000
Papua New Guinea79K17,2004,800
Burkina Faso175K0.9043,78043,000
Zambia158K0.9041,04016,000
Tanzania427K0.80190,05037,000
Uganda331K0.80116,66054,000
Togo58K0.8012,8505,000
Bhutan6K0.8015,2004,000
Kiribati9000.80200
British Virgin Islands3000.80500
Malaysia217K0.70428,170102,000
Madagascar168K0.7025,32020,000
Micronesia7000.70200
American Samoa4000.7090
Niger117K0.5011,11010,000
Rwanda66K0.5066,50014,000
Sierra Leone35K0.5010,20012,000
Fiji5K0.5016,7002,000
Marshall Islands3000.5080
Palau1000.5030
Bangladesh659K0.40410,305333,000
Ethiopia377K0.40525,60079,000
Uzbekistan127K0.40268,400150,000
Tajikistan37K0.4056,4909,000
Turkmenistan23K0.40184,70027,000
Eritrea23K0.40668,55012,000
Japan377K0.30745,514252,000
North Korea76K0.308,363,10076,000
Malawi47K0.3024,4808,400
Benin33K0.308,70026,000
Singapore20K0.30574,1409,000
Timor Leste3K0.302,5274,000
South Korea79K0.202,688,020115,000
Solomon Islands1K0.2070
Indonesia82K1,711,450429,000
Taiwan10K2,022,15076,000
showing: 217 rows

Which country owns the most guns?

The United States owns the most guns in the world, with an estimated 120 per 100 people.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources