Stockholm, Mar 16 (IANS): A Swedish think-tank has revealed that in the period between 2016 to 2020, the US remained the largest arms exporter, while international transfers levelled off.

Between 2011-2015 and 2016-2020, the US increased its global share of arms exports from 32 per cent to 37 per cent, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a report issued on Monday.

In the past five years, the US supplied major arms to more than 90 states, far more than any other supplier, while 47 per cent of the exported American arms went to the Middle East, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

Meanwhile over the past decade, international transfers of major arms stayed at the same level, as "substantial increase in transfers by three of the top five arms exporters -- the US, France and Germany -- were largely offset by declining Russian and Chinese arms exports", the report said.

Though it is the first time since 2001-2005 that international deliveries of arms did not increase, arms transfers were still close to the highest level in the post-Cold War era, it added.