STOCKHOLM – Total global military expenditure reached dlrs 2443 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8 per cent in real terms from 2022.
This was the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009. The 10 largest spenders in 2023—led by the United States, China and Russia—all increased their military spending, according to new data on global military spending published Sunday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
For the first time since 2009, military expenditure went up in all five of the geographical regions defined by SIPRI, with particularly large increases recorded in Europe, Asia and Oceania and the Middle East.
Russia’s military spending increased by 24 per cent to an estimated dlrs 109 billion in 2023, marking a 57 per cent rise since 2014, the year that Russia annexed Crimea. In 2023 Russia’s military spending made up 16 per cent of total government spending and its military burden (military spending as a share of gross domestic product, GDP) was 5.9 per cent.
Ukraine was the eighth largest spender in 2023, after a spending surge of 51 per cent to reach dlrs 64.8 billion. This gave Ukraine a military burden of 37 per cent and represented 58 per cent of total government spending.
Ukraine’s military spending in 2023 was 59 per cent the size of Russia’s. However, Ukraine also received at least dlrs 35 billion in military aid during the year, including dlrs 25.4 billion from the USA.
Military spending by the USA rose by 2.3 per cent to reach dlrs 916 billion in 2023, representing 68 per cent of total NATO military spending.
China allocated an estimated dlrs 296 billion to the military in 2023, an increase of 6.0 per cent from 2022. China accounted for half of total military spending across the Asia and Oceania region.
