Global military spending will rise the most in more than a decade to a record high of $2.4 trillion in 2023, researchers said on Monday, as wars and growing tensions spur spending around the world.
A new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that global military spending has increased, with particularly significant increases in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
“Total military spending is at an all-time high… for the first time since 2009 we are seeing an increase in military spending in all five geographical regions,” SIPRI senior researcher Minami Tian told AFP.
The report stated that military spending will increase by 6.8% in 2023, which is “the largest year-on-year increase since 2009.”
“This reflects the deterioration of peace and security conditions around the world. There is really no region in the world where the situation has improved,” Tian said.
The United States, China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia rank among the top five consumer countries.
Tian said the continuation of the war in Ukraine has led to increased spending by Ukraine, Russia and “a large number” of European countries.
According to SIPRI estimates, Russian spending will increase by 24% in 2023, reaching $109 billion.
Since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014, the country’s military spending has increased by 57%.
Rooms are limited
Ukraine’s military spending rose 51% to $64.8 billion, but the country also received $35 billion in military aid, much of it from the United States, meaning aid and spending combined equaled nine-tenths of Russia’s spending above.
Tian noted that while Moscow and Kiev’s overall 2023 budgets are relatively close, Ukraine’s military spending is equivalent to 37% of its gross domestic product (GDP) and 58% of all government spending.
In contrast, in Russia, which has a larger economy, military spending accounts for only 5.9% of GDP.
“So Ukraine’s space to increase spending is now very limited,” Tian said.
In Europe, Poland had by far the largest increase in military spending, up 75% to $31.6 billion.
Spending has also increased across the Middle East, with Israel, the region’s second-biggest spender, set to grow 24% to $27.5 billion in 2023, largely due to the country’s operations in Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks offensive. Hamas.
Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s top spender, also increased spending by 4.3% to about $75.8 billion.
The United States spends more on its military than any other country, rising 2.3% to $916 billion.
Tensions worsen
China increased its military spending for the 29th consecutive year, increasing by another 6% to approximately US$296 billion.
Beijing’s military buildup and rising tensions in the region have prompted its neighbors to pour more money into their militaries.
Japan spent $50.2 billion last year and Taiwan spent $16.6 billion, an increase of 11% in both countries.
Spending in India, the world’s fourth-largest spender, rose 4.3% to $83.6 billion.
In Central America and the Caribbean, increased spending is driven by other struggles, such as the fight against organized crime. The Dominican Republic, for example, increased spending by 14% to respond to worsening cross-border gang violence in neighboring Haiti.
Africa’s military budgets have also swelled.
Spending in the Democratic Republic of the Congo more than doubled (+105%) to $794 million, the largest increase of any country, as tensions with neighboring Rwanda increased.
South Sudan had the second largest increase, reaching US$1.1 billion, an increase of 78%.
Tian said he believed countries were likely to continue to build up their military capabilities, given that the war in Ukraine is “far from over” and tensions in the Middle East and Asia are rising.
“This growth trend is expected to continue for at least a few years,” he said.
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