SIPRI's "Trends in World Military Expenditure Report 2021".

In 2021 world military expenditure surpassed the two trillion US dollar mark for the first time, reaching $2113 billion. Global spending in 2021 was 0.7 per cent higher than in 2020 and 12 per cent higher than in 2012. The economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have not ended the continuous upward trend in world military expenditure seen since 2015. As a result of the strong economic recovery across the globe in 2021, world military spending as a share of world gross domestic product—the global military burden—reached 2.2 per cent, down from 2.3 per cent in 2020. Average military spending as a share of government expenditure in 2021 remained the same as in 2020, at 5.9 per cent.

This Fact Sheet presents regional and national military expenditure data for 2021 and highlights trends over the decade 2012–21. The data comes from the updated SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, which provides military spending data by country for the years 1949–2021.

KEY FACTS

• World military expenditure surpassed the two trillion US dollar mark for the first time, reaching $2.1 trillion in 2021.

• The five largest military spenders in 2021 were the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia, which together accounted for 62 per cent of world military spending. The USA and China alone accounted for 52 per cent.

• In 2021 China’s military spending rose for the 27th consecutive year, to reach $293 billion.

• Russia’s military expenditure grew for the third consecutive year in 2021. Spending rose by 2.9 per cent, to reach $65.9 billion, or 4.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

• Military expenditure grew in three of the world’s five regions in 2021. Spending increased in Asia and Oceania (3.5 per cent), Europe (3.0 per cent) and Africa (1.2 per cent). Spending decreased in the Middle East (–3.3 per cent) and the Americas (–1.2 per cent). 

• World military spending as a share of global GDP reached 2.2 per cent in 2021, 0.1 percentage points lower than in 2020.

• Countries allocated an average of 5.9 per cent of their total government budgets to their militaries in 2021—the same proportion as in 2020.

The 05 countries with the highest military expenditure in 2021.

Source: www.sipri.org

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