If the total number of publicly owned firearms in the United States is any indication, there would be a gun for almost every American, while Afghanistan and sub-Saharan African countries have fewer arms than generally believed.

According to the Small Arms Survey 2003, the Europeans are more heavily armed than commonly believed with 80 per cent of guns in civilian hands.

The survey, to which more than 30 researchers contributed, estimates that Afghanistan has between 500,000 and 1.5million (15lakh) weapons against the common estimate of 10million (1crore) or more.

But this, the report warns, is sufficient to initiate large-scale warfare should the Hamid Karzai government fall.

The 44 countries of sub-Saharan Africa have about 30million (3crore) arms.

The survey also finds that the war against terror has had little effect on worldwide stockpile of small arms estimated at 639million (63.9crore) weapons valued at about $7.4billion.

The US, it estimates, has 238 to 276 million weapons, which roughly works out to 83 to 96 guns for every 100 people.

The ratio in the European Union is much lower at 17.4 guns per 100 people. However, the finding contradicts the assumption among Europeans that guns are a rarity among them.

"In 13 months up to October last, 47 persons were killed and more than 36 wounded with privately held guns in mass shootings in Germany, Italy and Switzerland," the report says.

There is little transparency among countries producing small arms.

Only around 20 nations provide annual account of exports though 60 countries are known to engage in legal exports, Peter Batchelor, Project Director of the Survey said.

The report says that currently 1134 companies in at least 98 countries are involved in some aspect of small arms production, but only 30 nations, led by the US and Russia, are regarded as significant producers.

It finds that many of the arms producing companies are in bad economic shape as the surplus of weapons left over from the Cold War are being offered at very low prices.

The total value of documented firearms and ammunition exports in 2000 was about $2.1billion.

The value and volume of the international small arms trade, the survey says, appears to have declined in the 1990s led by a 'dramatic fall' in the trade in military weapons and most types of pistols and revolvers.

But 'over the same period, the trade in civilian firearms has declined only slightly', the survey revealed.

The survey warns that small arms proliferation and their misuse jeopardizes human development in many of the world's most underdeveloped nations.

Beyond deaths and injuries, small arms availability can often lead to economic collapse or destroyed infrastructure and withdrawal of private investment.

It pointed out that 50 per cent of the lowest ranking countries listed in the UN 2002 Human Development index are severely affected by armed conflicts.

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Small Arms Survey