Gun Ownership by Country 2022

The prevalence of firearms ownership varies widely over the globe. More than 175 nations throughout the globe allow their people to possess weapons, while most have special rules on firearm ownership, such as prohibiting certain kinds of weaponry, such as rifles.

As a result, gun ownership has become a constitutional right in Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States of America.

Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were temporarily banned from 1994 to 2004 in the United States by the Supreme Court, which maintained the prohibition. North Korea and Eritrea, on the other hand, forbid civilians from owning guns.

An international study of weapons ownership issued in 2017 included registered and unregistered firearms held by civilians, law enforcement agencies, the military (and other government agencies), and the number of firearms possessed by all three groups for each country.

Although the findings were shocking to some weapons policy specialists, they were instructive nonetheless:

In terms of the number of weapons held by civilians per capita in each country, the following are the top 10.

1. United States – 120.5
2. Falkland Islands – 62.1
3. Yemen – 52.8
4. New Caledonia – 42.5
5. Serbia – 39.1 (tie)
6. Montenegro – 39.1 (tie)
7. Uruguay – 34.7 (tie)
8. Canada – 34.7 (tie)
9. Cyprus – 34
10. Finland – 32.4

The United States has the greatest rate of civilian gun ownership globally—nearly twice that of the second-place country—with 120.5 weapons possessed by civilians for every 100 persons.

The total number of guns held by civilians in the United States was estimated at 393,347,000 in 2017 (measured against a 2017 population of 326,474,000).

While many Americans do not possess any firearms at all, many others do, resulting in a situation in which there are more weapons in the United States than people. According to an ABC News report the poll, about 40% of the world’s civilian-owned weapons are in the United States.

Many individuals think that gun regulations should be amended and strengthened in light of the continuing frequency of gun violence in the United States, including gun-enabled suicides or mass shootings in schools, places of worship, and companies.

However, in the United States, gun regulation is a highly political topic, which makes it difficult to achieve national legislation.

China, India, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam are among the nations with the strictest restrictions on the ownership and use of firearms in society.

There are no civilian weapons per 100 persons in Taiwan and Indonesia, the two countries with the lowest conceivable rates of gun ownership. Neither of these nations prohibits the possession of firearms.

Only shotguns, pistols, and conventional rifles are allowed in Taiwan, and all firearms need a background check and a license. The Indonesian National Police’s Weapons Officers sell and handle weapons throughout the country.

Laws in Indonesia demand criminal checks, no affiliations to extremist organizations, and a guns safety class, among other requirements.

Also Checkout: Gender Equality by Country 2022