The SIPRI Yearbook is appreciated worldwide as an authoritative and independent source of data and analysis for politicians, diplomats, journalists, scholars, students and citizens on armaments, disarmament and international security. It provides an overview of developments in international security, weapons and technology, military expenditure, the arms trade and arms production, and armed conflicts, along with efforts to control conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.This 47th edition of the SIPRI Yearbook covers developments during 2015, including: -Armed conflicts and conflict management, with a focus on the Middle East and the peace agreement in Mali, as well as studies on external support in civil wars (with case studies on South Sudan, Syria and Ukraine), trends in armed conflict data, and global and regional trends in peace operations -Security and development, featuring developments related to the women, peace and security agenda, the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), economic prospects in Afghanistan, as well as studies on cybersecurity, climate and security, and fragility and resilience in Europe in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks and the refugee crisis -Military expenditure, arms production and international arms transfers -World nuclear forces, with an overview of each of the nine nuclear-armed states -Nuclear arms control, featuring Irans nuclear deal and multilateral arms control and disarmament -International sanctions, arms embargoes and other restrictive measures as applied to Iran -Reducing security threats from chemical and biological materials, including the investigation of allegations of chemical weapon use in the Middle East -Dual-use and arms trade controls, including developments in the Arms Trade Treaty, multilateral arms embargoes and export control regimes As well as a 10-year overview of patterns of state-based armed violence, a summary of the Global Peace Index, a glossary, and annexes on events in 2015 and updates to arms control and disarmament agreements, and international security cooperation bodies.