Security Spending Around the World looks at the security spending of the US which spends more than any other country in the world.
Security Spending Around the World
The United States spends more on security and defense than any other country in the world. Let’s look at what we and other countries spend.
It’s a Defensive World
Global military spending accounts for nearly $2 trillion every year, and there’s little sign that will slow down soon.
$1.76 trillion
Global military spending, 2014 (1)
$249
Per-capita global spending (2)
Change in spending by region, 1988-2014 (3)
Africa: 182%
Americas: 13%
Asia/Oceana: 232%
Europe: -45%
Middle East: 148%
Share of world spending, top 15 and rest of world (1)
U.S.: 34%
China: 12%
Russia: 4.8%
Saudi Arabia: 4.5%
France: 3.5%
United Kingdom: 3.4%
India: 2.8%
Germany: 2.6%
Japan: 2.6%
South Korea: 2.1%
Brazil: 1.8%
Italy: 1.7%
Australia: 1.4%
UAE: 1.3%
Turkey: 1.3%
Rest of world: 20%
War and Peace
Military spending doesn’t necessarily equal a more peaceful existence. Here’s a look at how countries stack up on an index of peace.
Global peace index (lower numbers indicate higher levels of peace and safety) (4)
Afghanistan: 3.427
Albania: 1.821
Algeria: 2.131
Angola: 2.020
Argentina: 1.865
Armenia: 2.028
Australia: 1.329
Austria: 1.198
Azerbaijan: 2.325
Bahrain: 2.142
Bangladesh: 1.997
Belarus: 2.173
Belgium: 1.368
Benin: 1.958
Bhutan: 1.416
Bolivia: 2.025
Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1.839
Botswana: 1.597
Brazil: 2.122
Bulgaria: 1.607
Burkina Faso: 1.994
Burundi: 2.323
Cambodia: 2.179
Cameroon: 2.349
Canada: 1.287
Central African Republic: 3.332
Chad: 2.429
Chile: 1.563
China: 2.267
Colombia: 2.720
Congo: 2.196
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 3.085
Costa Rica: 1.654
Croatia: 1.550
Cuba: 1.988
Cyprus: 1.924
Czech Republic: 1.341
Denmark: 1.150
Djibouti: 2.113
Dominican Republic: 2.089
Ecuador: 1.997
Egypt: 2.382
El Salvador: 2.263
Equatorial Guinea: 1.987
Estonia: 1.677
Ethiopia: 2.234
Finland: 1.277
France: 1.742
Gabon: 1.904
Gambia: 2.086
Georgia: 1.973
Germany: 1.379
Ghana: 1.840
Greece: 1.878
Guatemala: 2.215
Guinea: 2.214
Guinea-Bissau: 2.235
Guyana: 2.029
Haiti: 2.074
Honduras: 2.210
Hungary: 1.463
Iceland: 1.148
India: 2.504
Indonesia: 1.768
Iran: 2.409
Iraq: 3.444
Ireland: 1.354
Israel: 2.781
Italy: 1.669
Ivory Coast: 2.133
Jamaica: 2.153
Japan: 1.322
Jordan: 1.944
Kazakhstan: 2.008
Kenya: 2.342
Kosovo: 1.938
Kuwait: 1.626
Kyrgyzstan: 2.249
Laos: 1.700
Latvia: 1.695
Lebanon: 2.623
Lesotho: 1.891
Liberia: 1.963
Libya: 2.819
Lithuania: 1.674
Macedonia: 1.944
Madagascar: 1.911
Malawi: 1.814
Malaysia: 1.561
Mali: 2.310
Mauritania: 2.262
Mauritius: 1.503
Mexico: 2.530
Moldova: 1.942
Mongolia: 1.706
Montenegro: 1.854
Morocco: 2.002
Mozambique: 1.976
Myanmar: 2.323
Namibia: 1.784
Nepal: 1.882
Netherlands: 1.432
New Zealand: 1.221
Nicaragua: 1.947
Nigeria: 2.910
North Korea: 2.977
Norway: 1.393
Oman: 1.947
Pakistan: 3.049
Panama: 1.903
Papua New Guinea: 2.064
Paraguay: 2.023
Peru: 2.029
Philippines: 2.462
Portugal: 1.344
Qatar: 1.568
Romania: 1.542
Russia: 2.954
Rwanda: 2.420
Saudi Arabia: 2.042
Senegal: 1.805
Serbia: 1.768
Sierra Leone: 1.864
Singapore: 1.490
Slovakia: 1.478
Slovenia: 1.378
Somalia: 3.307
South Africa: 2.376
South Korea: 1.701
South Sudan: 3.383
Spain: 1.451
Sri Lanka: 2.188
Sudan: 3.295
Swaziland: 2.102
Sweden: 1.360
Switzerland: 1.275
Syria: 3.645
Taiwan: 1.657
Tajikistan: 2.152
Tanzania: 1.903
Thailand: 2.303
Timor-Leste: 1.860
Togo: 1.944
Trinidad and Tobago: 2.070
Tunisia: 1.952
Turkey: 2.363
Turkmenistan: 2.138
UAE: 1.805
Uganda: 2.179
Ukraine: 2.845
United Kingdom: 1.685
United States: 2.038
Uruguay: 1.721
Uzbekistan: 2.187
Venezuela: 2.493
Vietnam: 1.848
Yemen: 2.751
Zambia: 1.846
Zimbabwe: 2.294
What We’re Spending On
Here’s a look at how the most recent U.S. defense budget breaks down: (5)
Department of Defense: $586.9 billion
Nuclear weapons: $18.6 billion
Defense-related activities*: $8.2 billion
Military retirement not scored to DoD: $35.8 billion
DoD retiree health care fund: $1.1 billion
Veterans Affairs: $151.3 billion
International affairs: $38.5 billion
Homeland Security**: $51 billion
Share of interest on debt: $76.3 billion
*Generally international FBI activities, Selective Service and other defense-related activities
** Excluding DoD, Department of Energy, State Department and VA
Sources:
1. http://books.sipri.org
2. http://www.globalissues.org
3. http://www.sipri.org
4. http://static.visionofhumanity.org
5. http://www.pogo.org
