{"id":159518,"date":"2020-05-04T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=159518"},"modified":"2020-04-30T07:08:22","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T06:08:22","slug":"global-military-expenditure-sees-largest-annual-increase-in-a-decade-reaching-1917-trillion-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/05\/global-military-expenditure-sees-largest-annual-increase-in-a-decade-reaching-1917-trillion-in-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Military Expenditure Sees Largest Annual Increase in a Decade Reaching US$ 1.917 Trillion in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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World military expenditure, by region, 1988\u20132019<\/p><\/div>\n

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27 April 2020 – Total global military expenditure rose to US$ 1.917 trillion in 2019, according to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The total for 2019 represents an increase of 3.6 per cent from 2018 and the largest annual growth in spending since 2010. The five largest spenders in 2019, which accounted for 62 per cent of expenditure, were the United States, China, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia. This is the first time that two Asian states have featured among the top three military spenders. The comprehensive annual update of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database is accessible from today at www.sipri.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Global military spending in 2019 represented 2.2 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), which equates to approximately $249 per person. \u2018Global military expenditure was 7.2 per cent higher in 2019 than it was in 2010, showing a trend that military spending growth has accelerated in recent years,\u2019 says Dr Nan Tian, SIPRI Researcher. \u2018This is the highest level of spending since the 2008 global financial crisis and probably represents a peak in expenditure.\u2019<\/p>\n

United States drives global growth in military spending<\/h4>\n

Military spending by the United States<\/strong> grew by 5.3 per cent to a total of $732 billion in 2019 and accounted for 38 per cent of global military spending. The increase in US spending in 2019 alone was equivalent to the entirety of Germany\u2019s military expenditure for that year. \u2018The recent growth in US military spending is largely based on a perceived return to competition between the great powers,\u2019 says Pieter D. Wezeman, Senior Researcher at SIPRI.<\/p>\n

China and India top Asian military spending<\/h4>\n

In 2019 China<\/strong> and India<\/strong> were, respectively, the second- and third-largest military spenders in the world. China\u2019s military expenditure reached $261 billion in 2019, a 5.1 per cent increase compared with 2018, while India\u2019s grew by 6.8 per cent to $71.1 billion. \u2018India\u2019s tensions and rivalry with both Pakistan and China are among the major drivers for its increased military spending,\u2019 says Siemon T. Wezeman, SIPRI Senior Researcher.<\/p>\n

In addition to China and India, Japan<\/strong> ($47.6 billion) and South Korea<\/strong> ($43.9 billion) were the largest military spenders in Asia and Oceania. Military expenditure in the region has risen every year since at least 1989.<\/p>\n

Germany leads military expenditure increases in Europe<\/h4>\n

Germany\u2019s<\/strong> military spending rose by 10 per cent in 2019, to $49.3 billion. This was the largest increase in spending among the top 15 military spenders in 2019. \u2018The growth in German military spending can partly be explained by the perception of an increased threat from Russia, shared by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states,\u2019 says Diego Lopes da Silva, Researcher at SIPRI. \u2018At the same time, however, military spending by France<\/strong> and the United<\/strong> Kingdom<\/strong> remained relatively stable.\u2019<\/p>\n

There were sharp increases in military expenditure among NATO member states in Central Europe: for example, Bulgaria\u2019s<\/strong> increased by 127 per cent\u2014mainly due to payments for new combat aircraft\u2014and Romania\u2019s<\/strong> rose by 17 per cent. Total military spending by all 29 NATO member states was $1035 billion in 2019.<\/p>\n

In 2019 Russia<\/strong> was the fourth-largest spender in the world and increased its military expenditure by 4.5 per cent to $65.1 billion. \u2018At 3.9 per cent of its GDP, Russia\u2019s military spending burden was among the highest in Europe in 2019,\u2019 says Alexandra Kuimova, Researcher at SIPRI.<\/p>\n

Volatile military spending in African states in conflict<\/h4>\n

Armed conflict is one of the main drivers for the volatile nature of military spending in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, where there are several ongoing armed conflicts, military spending in 2019 increased in Burkina<\/strong> Faso<\/strong> (22 per cent), Cameroon<\/strong> (1.4 per cent) and Mali<\/strong> (3.6 per cent) but fell in Chad<\/strong> (\u20135.1 per cent), Niger<\/strong> (\u201320 per cent) and Nigeria<\/strong> (\u20138.2 per cent). Among Central African countries that were involved in armed conflict, military spending in 2019 rose overall. The Central African Republic<\/strong> (8.7 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/strong> (16 per cent) and Uganda<\/strong> (52 per cent) all increased military spending in 2019.<\/p>\n

Other notable regional developments<\/h4>\n