Last Updated : Jun 21, 2018 05:42 PM IST | Source: Moneycontrol.com

Countries with highest number of guns in civilian hands - where does India rank?

By the end of 2017, there were 857 million civilian-held firearms in the world, of which only 100 million are registered, rest being unregistered, illicit or illegal, a report by Small Arms Survey commissioned by the Australian government has revealed. Here are the top 10 countries which are home to largest number of firearms held by civilians

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Turkey | 1.32 crore | With an estimated 1.32 crore firearms with civilians, the increasingly autocratic country has 16.5 guns per hundred civilians. The number of registered firearms in the country is merely 25 lakh. Comparatively, the number of unregistered firearms is 1.07 crore. (A man prepares to shoot with his Canik TP9, 9 mm handgun during a practice session at a shooting range in Istanbul; Reuters)
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Turkey | 1.32 crore | With an estimated 1.32 crore firearms with civilians, the increasingly autocratic country has 16.5 guns per hundred civilians. The number of registered firearms in the country is merely 25 lakh. Comparatively, the number of unregistered firearms is 1.07 crore. (A man prepares to shoot with his Canik TP9, 9 mm handgun during a practice session at a shooting range in Istanbul; Reuters)
Yemen | 1.49 crore | The Gulf country currently involved in a war with the Saudi-led coalition has one of the highest gun-to-population ratio. The population of Yemen is just 2.76 crore, equal to the population of the Indian state of Punjab, however, one out of every two citizens in the country owns a firearm. (A Houthi militant mans a machine gun mounted on a truck in Sanaa, Yemen; Reuters)
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Yemen | 1.49 crore | The Gulf country currently involved in a war with the Saudi-led coalition has one of the highest gun-to-population ratio. The population of Yemen is just 2.76 crore, equal to the population of the Indian state of Punjab, however, one out of every two citizens in the country owns a firearm. (A Houthi militant mans a machine gun mounted on a truck in Sanaa, Yemen; Reuters)
Germany | 1.58 crore | Only one of the two European countries in the top 10 list, Germany has one of the most stringent gun laws in the continent, says the Library of Congress. It restricts the gun ownership to persons with a credible need for it. Despite, Germany has 19.6 firearms per 100 civilians. However, it is still lesser than Montenegro’s 39.1, which has the highest gun-to-population ratio in Europe. (Telescopic sights for guns are displayed at the Berlin Security Conference; Reuters)
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Germany | 1.58 crore | Only one of the two European countries in the top 10 list, Germany has one of the most stringent gun laws in the continent, says the Library of Congress. It restricts the gun ownership to persons with a credible need for it. Despite, Germany has 19.6 firearms per 100 civilians. However, it is still lesser than Montenegro’s 39.1, which has the highest gun-to-population ratio in Europe. (Telescopic sights for guns are displayed at the Berlin Security Conference; Reuters)
Mexico | 1.68 crore | With five cities among top 10 cities with highest murder rates in the world, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Mexico is home to seventh highest number of civilian firearms in the world. The citizens in the country have 1.36 crore unregistered firearms and 31 lakh registered firearms. (Mexican state police officer discharges a bullet from Beretta 9mm; Reuters)
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Mexico | 1.68 crore | With five cities among top 10 cities with highest murder rates in the world, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Mexico is home to seventh highest number of civilian firearms in the world. The citizens in the country have 1.36 crore unregistered firearms and 31 lakh registered firearms. (Mexican state police officer discharges a bullet from Beretta 9mm; Reuters)
Brazil | 1.75 crore | Another country with high murder rates. Inasmuch, 17 Brazilian cities feature in top 50 list of cities with highest murder rates in the world, including three in top 10. Despite the high rate of homicide, the country has a relatively low gun to citizen ratio with 8.3 guns per 100 citizens. The number of registered firearms in the South American country is 80 lakh, slightly lower than the number of unregistered firearms which is 94 lakh. (Guns seized from criminals by armed forces are destroyed in Rio de Janeiro; Reuters)
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Brazil | 1.75 crore | Another country with high murder rates. Inasmuch, 17 Brazilian cities feature in top 50 list of cities with highest murder rates in the world, including three in top 10. Despite the high rate of homicide, the country has a relatively low gun to citizen ratio with 8.3 guns per 100 citizens. The number of registered firearms in the South American country is 80 lakh, slightly lower than the number of unregistered firearms which is 94 lakh. (Guns seized from criminals by armed forces are destroyed in Rio de Janeiro; Reuters)
Russia | 1.76 crore | Russia which tops the list of countries with military firearms that has over three crore guns with the armed forces, is also home to the fifth largest number of civilian-held firearms. There are a total of 66 lakh registered firearms with civilians and 1.1 crore unregistered firearms. The gun-to-citizen ratio stands at 12.3 per 100 persons. (A man looks over an anti-aircraft machine gun in Moscow; Reuters)
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Russia | 1.76 crore | Russia which tops the list of countries with military firearms that has over three crore guns with the armed forces, is also home to the fifth largest number of civilian-held firearms. There are a total of 66 lakh registered firearms with civilians and 1.1 crore unregistered firearms. The gun-to-citizen ratio stands at 12.3 per 100 persons. (A man looks over an anti-aircraft machine gun in Moscow; Reuters)
Pakistan | 4.39 crore | The country frequently accused of harbouring terrorists is home to a huge number of unregistered firearms. With 3.8 crore of such firearms, the number is more than six times the number of registered firearms. (A worker cuts the frame of a handgun out of a sheet of steel at the Peshawar Arms Company in Peshawar; Reuters)
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Pakistan | 4.39 crore | The country frequently accused of harbouring terrorists is home to a huge number of unregistered firearms. With 3.8 crore of such firearms, the number is more than six times the number of registered firearms. (A worker cuts the frame of a handgun out of a sheet of steel at the Peshawar Arms Company in Peshawar; Reuters)
China | 4.97 crore | The world’s most populous country has comparatively very low civilian firearms concentration. With just 3.6 firearms per 100 persons, it has 6.8 lakh registered and 4.9 crore unregistered firearms. (Illegal weapons captured by local authorities and discarded legal guns are displayed before being destroyed in Fujian; Reuters)
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China | 4.97 crore | The world’s most populous country has comparatively very low civilian firearms concentration. With just 3.6 firearms per 100 persons, it has 6.8 lakh registered and 4.9 crore unregistered firearms. (Illegal weapons captured by local authorities and discarded legal guns are displayed before being destroyed in Fujian; Reuters)
India | 7.11 crore | India’s place at the second position is slightly surprising yet confirms popular notions. Despite stringent laws and regulatory checks, India has 5.3 firearms per 100 citizens. The number of registered firearms in the country is 97 lakh. However, it is the number of unregistered firearms estimated at 6.1 crore which points to the fact that how easy it is to get hold of a gun is in the country. The report estimates that roughly 25 lakh 'country-made' or crude guns are produced every year in India. (A crude yet functional homemade firearm made in Delhi, India; Wikimedia Commons)
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India | 7.11 crore | India’s place at the second position is slightly surprising yet confirms popular notions. Despite stringent laws and regulatory checks, India has 5.3 firearms per 100 citizens. The number of registered firearms in the country is 97 lakh. However, it is the number of unregistered firearms estimated at 6.1 crore which points to the fact that how easy it is to get hold of a gun is in the country. The report estimates that roughly 25 lakh 'country-made' or crude guns are produced every year in India. (A crude yet functional homemade firearm made in Delhi, India; Wikimedia Commons)
USA | 39.33 crore | The number of firearms with civilians in the US is much more than the total of next nine countries. The country, that recently dealt with a number of bloody mass shootings, has 120.5 guns per hundred population. Out of a total of 39.33 crore firearms with civilians, just 10 lakh of them are registered. (Gun enthusiasts inspect firearms during the annual National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Dallas, Texas; Reuters)
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USA | 39.33 crore | The number of firearms with civilians in the US is much more than the total of next nine countries. The country, that recently dealt with a number of bloody mass shootings, has 120.5 guns per hundred population. Out of a total of 39.33 crore firearms with civilians, just 10 lakh of them are registered. (Gun enthusiasts inspect firearms during the annual National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Dallas, Texas; Reuters)
First Published on Jun 21, 2018 05:42 pm