The number of countries in the world that own unmanned aerial vehicles has increased significantly over the past decade. According to this year's Munich Security Conference report, the number of countries owning and using drones classified as light by NATO has risen especially quickly.

Civilian and military drones are both included in the report numbers. However, as the market volume for the latter is much larger, it can be assumed that the majority of these countries have military drones in their possession. In addition, there are drones such as the Hermes 900 of the Israeli manufacturer Elbit, which comply with civil airspace regulations, but can also be used for military purposes, such as border security.

Not included in the report are recreational drones that are widely available for home use.