25 Facts on Global Military Spending

25 Facts on Global Military Spending

Last week on an airplane ride to Boston, I was reading the book Common Wealth by Jeffrey Sachs when I came across some statistics on military spending in Chapter 12, Rethinking Foreign Policy.

One statistic stood out to me from p. 274. I read that “One day’s Pentagon spending would provide enough funds to ensure antimalarial bed net protection for every sleeping child in Africa for five years.” I learned that while the Pentagon spent an average of $1.6 billion per day in 2007 only $1.5 billion in total was needed to provide nets for 300 million sleeping sites. This was interesting, and compelling.

I decided to do some additional research on global military spending, and here’s what I found. I’d love your thoughts and comments!

25 Facts on Global Military Spending

To make it on this list a statistic must be from a trusted primary source with a clear “as of” date or a reputable secondary source that clearly lists its primary sources. All statistics are sourced and cited at the bottom of the page. Please add a comment if you find additional good sources.

1. Between 2000 and 2008, including supplemental war spending, U.S. military spending increased from 387 billion to 710 billion, an 83% increase. (1)
2. In 2007, world military expenditure reached $1.339 trillion (2)
3. In 2007, the USA’s military spending accounted for 45 per cent of the world total, followed by the UK, China, France and Japan. (2)
4. In 2007, the 15 countries with the highest military spending account for 83 per cent of the total (2)
5. Between 2001 and 2007 US military expenditure has increased by 59 per cent in real terms, principally because of spending on military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and due to increases in the ‘base’ defense budget. (2)
6. Global Military spending increased 45% between 1998 and 2007 (2)
7. In 2007, the United Nations and all its agencies and funds spent $24.9 billion, or about $4 for each of the world’s inhabitants (2)
8. In 2007, the UN’s budget was 1.86% of the world’s military expenditure (2, 3)
9. In 2008, world military expenditure reached 1.472 trillion (4)
10. In 2008, U.S. military spending was $711 billion, 48.28% of the global total, followed by China with 8.28%, Russia with 4.75%, and the UK with 3.76% (4)
11. In 2008, the combined military spending of the second through eighth largest military spenders (China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany, and Italy) was $300.2 million less than the military spending of the first largest military spender, the United States (4)
12. In 2008, US military spending was more than the next 46 highest spending countries in the world combined. (4)
13. in 2008, US military spending was 5.8 times more than China, 10.2 times more than Russia, and 98.6 times more than Iran. (4)
14. In 2008, US military spending is almost 55 times the spending on the six states of Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria whose spending amounts to around $13 billion. (4)
15. In 2008, the United States and its strongest allies (the NATO countries, Japan, South Korea and Australia) spend $1.1 trillion on their militaries combined, representing 72 percent of the world’s total. (4)
16. In 2009, the U.S. Military base budget was $515.4 billion in 2009 plus 135.8 billion in emergency and discretionary spending for a total of $651.2 billion. (5)
17. In 2006, including all military-related expenditures outside of the Department of Defense, the United States spent $934 billion on its military in 2006 (6)
18. In 2007, one day of spending of the U.S. Pentagon ($1.6 billion) would equal enough funds to ensure antimalarial bed net protection for every sleeping site in Africa for five years (300 million bed nets at $5 each). (7)
19. In 2007, the United States spent $572 billion on its military, $11 billion on international security, $14 billion on development and humanitarian aid, and $11 billion for diplomatic functions. (8)
20. In 2009, the United States spent $710 billion in military spending (4), $18.8 billion in total bilateral economic assistance via USAID (9), and $5.2 billion in development aid to Africa (10)
21. Military expenditure comprised approximately 2.4 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008. (11)
22. The combined arms sales of the Top 100 arms-producing companies reached $347 billion, an increase of 11 per cent in nominal terms and 5 per cent in real terms over 2006. (12)
23. Between 2002 and 2007 the value of the Top 100 arms sales has increased by 37 per cent in real terms. (12)
24. Forty-four US companies accounted for 61 per cent of the Top 100’s arms sales in 2007, while 32 West European companies accounted for 31 per cent of the sales. (12)
25. The estimated financial value of the international arms trade in 2007 was $51.1 billion. According to national data, the USA was the largest arms exporter in 2007, with exports worth $12.8 billion; Russia was in second place, with $7.4 billion; France was in third place, with $6.2 billion; Israel was in fourth place, with $4.4 billion; and the UK was in fifth place, with $4.1 billion. (13)

Additional Facts in Graphs & Images:

Image Source: U.S. Military Spending vs. the World, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 2A

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 6A

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 6A

Image source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 6B

Image source: Nuclear Warheads by Country, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Chapter 8

Image source: Nuclear Warheads by Country, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 12A

Fact Sources: Travis Sharp, Growth in U.S. Defense Spending Over the Last Decade, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, February 26, 2009 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2008 Year Book, Chapter 5 Global Policy Forum, Total UN System Contributions U.S. Military Spending vs. the World, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation U.S. Department of Defense Budget 2009 Robert Higgs, The Trillion-Dollar Defense Budget Is Already Here, using data from U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008 and U.S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 Sachs, Jeffrey, Common Wealth p. 274 White House Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, FY 2007 USAID, FY 2009 International Affairs Budget Request, Summary and Highlights, p. 7 USAID, FY 2009 International Affairs Budget Request, Africa Regional Overview, p. 2 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 3A Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Chapter 6 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2009 Year Book, Appendix 12A

Please add comments below on any thoughts you have or additional good sources. Thank you!