The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released a report on Monday, stating that global military spending in 2023 increased by 6.8% compared to 2022, marking the largest year-on-year growth since 2009.
According to the report, in 2023, global military spending continued to rise for the ninth consecutive year, reaching a record high of $2.43 trillion. The increases in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East were particularly notable.
SIPRI’s senior researcher on military expenditure and arms production, Tian Nan, remarked, “The unprecedented growth in military spending is a direct response to the deteriorating global peace and security situation. Countries are prioritizing military power, but they also face escalating risks in the increasingly turbulent geopolitical and security environment.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both countries significantly increased their military spending. Russia’s military expenditure in 2023 grew by 24% compared to the previous year, estimated at $109 billion, representing a 57% increase since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In 2023, Russia’s military spending accounted for 16% of the government’s total expenditure and 5.9% of the GDP.
Ukraine soared to become the world’s eighth largest military spender in 2023, with a 51% increase in military expenditure reaching $64.8 billion. This translated to 58% of the government’s total expenditure and 37% of the national income.
In 2023, Ukraine’s military spending was 59% of Russia’s. However, Ukraine also received at least $35 billion in military aid during that year, including $25.4 billion from the United States. Combined with Ukraine’s own military spending, the total amount equated to 91% of Russia’s military expenditure.
The United States remains the primary contributor to NATO’s military spending, with a 2.3% increase in military expenditure in 2023 reaching $916 billion, accounting for 68% of NATO’s total military spending. The share of European member countries also increased. In 2023, the military spending of NATO’s 31 members amounted to $1.341 trillion, or 55% of global military spending.
Lorenzo Scarazzato, a researcher at SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program, stated, “For NATO countries in Europe, the Ukraine conflict in the past two years has fundamentally altered the security landscape. The proportion of military spending in the GDP is increasing, and NATO’s 2% goal is increasingly seen as a benchmark rather than a threshold to meet.”
As the world’s second largest military spender, China’s military expenditure in 2023 was approximately $296 billion, a 6% increase from 2022. This marked the 29th consecutive year of an annual increase in China’s military spending. China’s military expenditure accounted for half of the total military spending in Asia and Oceania.
Several neighboring countries of China have linked their own military spending increases to the expansion of the Chinese military.
Japan saw a military expenditure of $50.2 billion in 2023, a rise of 11% from the previous year. Taiwan’s military spending also increased by 11% reaching $16.6 billion in 2023.
SIPRI’s researcher on military spending and arms production, Xiao Liang, mentioned that China is allocating a significant portion of its growing military budget to enhance the combat readiness of the People’s Liberation Army. This has led to a substantial increase in military capabilities by Japan, Taiwan, and other countries in the region, a trend expected to accelerate in the coming years.
It is estimated that military spending in the Middle East is set to increase by 9.0% in 2023, reaching $200 billion. This marks the highest annual growth rate in military spending in the region in the past decade.
Israel’s military spending increased by 24% in 2023, reaching $27.5 billion, second only to Saudi Arabia in the region. Israel’s military expenditure surge was primarily in response to attacks from Hamas.
Diego Lopes da Silva, a senior researcher at SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program, stated, “The substantial increase in military spending in the Middle East in 2023 reflects rapid changes in the region—from the warming of diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states in recent years to the outbreak of major conflicts in Gaza and concerns about escalating conflicts throughout the region.”
Furthermore, military operations against organized crime have driven up military spending in Central America and the Caribbean.
Military spending in Central America and the Caribbean in 2023 was 54% higher than in 2014. The rise in crime rates led several countries in the region to increase the use of military forces to combat criminal gangs.
Lopes da Silva added, “Over the years, the trend of using the military to suppress gang violence in the region has become increasingly apparent, as governments either struggle to address issues through conventional means or opt for more direct and forceful measures.”