UNITED NATIONS: Pakistanis are ranked as fourth among the list of 25 countries in which civilians hold firearms, said a report.
According to details, out of the 857 million guns owned by civilians, Pakistan is ranked at number four with 43.9 million of its civilians holding firearms. The US is at the top with 393 million followed by India at 71 million and China at 49.7 million.
Similarly, in the list of the largest reported and estimated military-owned firearms holdings, Pakistan is at the number 10 with 2.3 million firearms in a list of top 10 countries.
According to the report, there are over one billion firearms in the world but 85 per cent of those are in the hands of civilians, with the remainder held by law enforcement and the military. Surprisingly, Americans, who make up only four per cent of the global population, own 40 per cent of the world’s firearms.
Gun ownership rates vary across the world, with 121 firearms for every 100 residents in the United States compared to 53 in Yemen, 39 in Montenegro, and 35 in Canada.
Japan and Indonesia are at the other end of the spectrum with less than one firearm per 100 people.
Only 28 countries released information on their military stockpiles while 28 nations offered information the firearms owned by law enforcement agencies.