LAHORE: While the world military expenditure reached $2.718 trillion in 2024, an increase of 9.4 per cent in real terms from 2023, the United States remains the top spender at $997 billion (nearly 40% of global total), followed by China, Russia, Germany and India; reveals the April 28, 2025 report of the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
According to this report, latest of its kind on the web by far, the top five nations account for 60% of total world spending, with combined spending of $1.635 trillion.
SIPRI, an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament since 1966, stated: “Military expenditure in the Middle East reached an estimated $243 billion in 2024, an increase of 15 per cent from 2023 and 19 per cent more than in 2015. Israel’s military expenditure surged by 65 per cent to $46.5 billion in 2024, the steepest annual increase since the Six-Day War in 1967, as it continued to wage war in Gaza and escalated conflict with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Its military burden rose to 8.8 per cent of GDP, the second highest in the world. Lebanon’s military spending rose by 58 per cent in 2024 to $635 million, after several years of lower spending due to economic crisis and political turmoil.”
The Report maintained: “Iran’s military spending fell by 10 per cent in real terms to $7.9 billion in 2024 despite its involvement in regional conflicts and its support for regional proxies. Saudi Arabia was the largest military spender in the Middle East in 2024 and the seventh largest worldwide. Its military spending saw a modest increase of 1.5 per cent, reaching an estimated $80.3 billion, but still 20 per cent lower than in 2015 when the country’s oil revenues peaked. Military spending by the USA rose by 5.7 per cent to reach $997 billion, which was 66 per cent of total NATO spending and 37 per cent of world military spending in 2024. The European NATO members spent $454 billion in total, representing 30 per cent of total spending across the alliance.”
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute added: “China, the world’s second largest military spender, increased its military expenditure by 7.0 per cent to an estimated $314 billion, marking three decades of consecutive growth. China accounted for 50 per cent of all military spending in Asia and Oceania. Japan’s military spending rose by 21 per cent to $55.3 billion in 2024, the largest annual increase since 1952. Its military burden reached 1.4 per cent of GDP, the highest since 1958. Meanwhile, India’s military expenditure, the fifth largest globally, grew by 1.6 per cent to $86.1 billion. Spending by Taiwan grew by 1.8 per cent in 2024 to reach $16.5 billion. Russia’s military expenditure reached an estimated $149 billion in 2024, a 38 per cent increase from 2023 and double the level in 2015. This represented 7.1 per cent of Russia’s GDP and 19 per cent of all Russian government spending.”
The SIPRI report further read: “Ukraine’s total military expenditure grew by 2.9 per cent to reach $64.7 billion—equivalent to 43 per cent of Russia’s spending. At 34 per cent of GDP, Ukraine had the largest military burden of any country in 2024. Germany’s military expenditure increased by 28 per cent to reach $88.5 billion, making it the biggest spender in Central and Western Europe and the fourth biggest in the world.
It became the biggest military spender in Western Europe. Poland’s military spending grew by 31 per cent to $38.0 billion in 2024, representing 4.2 per cent of Poland’s GDP.”
