Global military spending grew 7% to reach $2.43 trillion in 2023, the biggest annual increase since 2009, as international peace and security deteriorated, a leading think tank said on Monday.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in a statement that the United States, China and Russia were the biggest spenders in 2023.
Nan Tian, senior researcher at Sipri's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program, said: “States are prioritizing military force, but they risk an action-reaction spiral in the increasingly volatile geopolitical and security landscape.” .
Sipri said Russia increased spending by 24% to an estimated $109 billion.
Ukraine increased spending by 51% to $65 billion and received at least $35 billion in military aid from other countries.
“Combined, this aid and Ukraine’s own military spending was equivalent to about 91% of Russian spending,” the institute said.
According to Sipri, spending by NATO member countries totaled 55% of global spending.
“For European NATO countries, the last two years of war in Ukraine have fundamentally changed the security outlook,” said Sipri researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato.
“This change in threat perception is reflected in the increase in the share of GDP going to military spending, with the NATO target of 2% increasingly seen as a baseline rather than a limit to be achieved.”
NATO member countries must set aside at least 2% of gross domestic product for alliance defense spending.
Sipri said most European NATO members have increased this spending. The US increased by 2% to $916 billion, which represents about two-thirds of NATO's total military spending.
Percentage changes are expressed in real terms, at constant 2022 prices, Sipri added.
Source: CNN Brasil
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