Yesterday, the Swedish think tank SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) released its Yearbook. Dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament, the Institute compiles annual data of Military Expenditure, arms trade, nuclear forces and all related topics.
The table above illustrates the world top 10 military spenders for the past year. The US alone amounts to 43% of global Military Expenditures, followed in a distant second place by China, with 7.3%.
To provide context of what these figures amount to, I am including the SIPRI definition of military expenditure:
Where possible, SIPRI military expenditure include all current and capital expenditure on:
- the armed forces, including peace keeping forces
- defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects
- paramilitary forces when judged to be trained, equipped and available for military operations
- military space activities
Such expenditures should include:
- personnel
- all expenditures on current personnel, military and civil
- retirement pensions of military personnel
- social services for personnel and their families
- operations and maintenance
- procurement
- military research and development
- military construction
- military aid (in the military expenditures of the donor country)
Excluded military related expenditures:
- civil defence
- current expenditure for previous military activities
- veterans benefits
- demobilization
- conversion of arms production facilities
- destruction of weapons
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