Key Findings of the annual update of the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database:
- World military expenditure: It has grown to $1.8 trillion in 2018. World military spending in 2018 represented 2.1 % of global gross domestic product (GDP) or $239 per person.
- The five biggest spenders in 2018 were: the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, India and France, which together accounted for 60 % of global military spending.
- United states: US military spending grew—for the first time since 2010—by 4.6 %, to reach $649 billion in 2018. The USA remained by far the largest spender in the world, and spent almost as much on its military in 2018 as the next eight largest-spending countries combined.
- China: China, the second-largest spender in the world, increased its military expenditure by 5 % to $250 billion in 2018. This was the 24th consecutive year of increase in Chinese military expenditure.
- India: In 2018 India increased its military spending by 3.1 % to $66.5 billion.
- Pakistan: Military expenditure by Pakistan grew by 11 % (the same level of growth as in 2017), to reach $11.4 billion in 2018.
- Russia: At $61.4 billion, Russian military spending was the sixth highest in the world in 2018. Its spending decreased by 3.5 % compared with 2017.
- Reason for Rising military expenditure: The tensions between countries in Asia as well as between China and the USA are major drivers for the continuing growth of military spending. In 2018 the USA and China accounted for half of the world’s military spending.
