Unprecedented increase in military spending worldwide – diepresse.com

The global military spending rose in 2024 the tenth year in a row. Like a report on the Peace Research Institute published on Monday Sipri shows that the expenses in 2024 amounted to $ 2718 billion. This corresponds to an increase of 9.4 percent compared to 2023 – the strongest annual increase since « at least the end of the Cold War ». The military spending rose in all world regions, but especially in Europe and the Middle East.

Defense spending in Europe (with Russia) rose by 17 percent to $ 693 billion. With the exception of Malta, all countries of the continent increased their military spending in 2024. The Stockholm Institute in Germany (28 percent), Poland (31), Sweden (34) and Russia (38) determined particularly large climbs. Ukraine military spending rose by about three percent and reached $ 64.7 billion, which corresponds to 43 percent of Russian expenses. “The rapid increase in expenditure among the European NATO-Members are mainly due to the ongoing Russian threat and concern about a possible withdrawal from the United States from the alliance, ”said Sipri expert Jade Guiberteau Ricard.

The USA provide two thirds of the NATO military budget

Of the 32 NATO members, 18 gave at least two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) for defense. However, the European Allies only provided less than a third (30 percent) of the NATO defense budget. With $ 997 billion (66 percent), the United States was also the country with the highest military spending worldwide. This was followed by China, Russia, Germany and India. These five countries were responsible for 60 percent of global defense spending. The proportion of defense spending on global GDP rose to 2.5 percent in 2024.

Also in the Middle East was the conflicts of Israel with the Hamas In the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah to observe a strong climb in Lebanon. Israel’s military spending rose by 65 percent to $ 46.5 billion compared to 2023. This was the strongest annual increase since the six -day war in 1967, Sipri said. The increase in Lebanon (58 percent) was similarly high. In contrast, the military expenditure of Iran, despite the involvement of the country into numerous deputy wars in the region, dropped by ten percent. « Despite the widespread expectation that many countries in the Middle East would increase their military spending in 2024, the increase was limited to Israel and Lebanon, » said Sipri expert Zubaida Karim.

Risk of arms in Southeast Asia

Half ($ 314 billion) of all military spending in Asia and Oceania was in China. The country is investing primarily in the expansion of its nuclear weapons arsenal and cyber warfare. Japan (21 percent), India (1.6) and Taiwan (1.8) also increased their military spending. In view of several unresolved disputes and increasing tensions, these investments pose the risk that the region will get into a dangerous spiral of the arms arm, the institute feared in its report. China in particular asserts territorial demands in the South China Sea and threatens the independent Taiwan. Since its division in 1949, Beijing has seen the island as anetomy area that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary with military violence. (APA)