World military spending exceeds 2 trillion USD for the first time, boosted by the invasion of Ukraine; Spain allocates the largest amount in the last decade.
Europe and the world have been increasing their military spending for years, and in 2021 they have raised it to a record: world military spending has exceeded the $2 trillion barrier for the first time.
The 2.11 trillion dollars (1.95 trillion euros, at current exchange rates) that all countries have allocated to armaments in 2021 represent an increase of 0.7% in real terms, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Studies Institute.
Thus, the growth rate has been reduced due to inflation, but in nominal terms it implies an increase of 6.1%, explains SIPRI.
The United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia have been the five countries that have spent the most money on armament and militarization and together represent 62% of the world total, according to the report, published this Monday, 25, which adds that with 2021 they are already seven consecutive years of growth in this regard.
World military spending exceeds 2 trillion USD
"Even in the midst of the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, global military spending reached record levels," says Diego Lopes da Silva, senior researcher at the SIPRI military expenditure and arms production program, according to the statement.
The United States, the country with the highest military expenditure by far, allocated more than 800,000 dollars (more than 740,000 euros) last year, representing a drop of 1.4% compared to 2020 and a decrease of 3.7% to 3.5% of GDP, although research and development funding increased by 24% between 2012 and 2021.
This increase "suggests that the United States is focusing more on next-generation technologies.
The US government has repeatedly stressed the need to preserve the technological advantage of the US military over its strategic competitors," recalls Alexandra Marksteiner, a researcher at SIPRI.
Something similar seems to happen with Europe, with its increased spending has contributed to the global spike from 2015, after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, and that the USA government Trump pressions to the NATO allies toward a greater outlay in its armed forces, pointing Lucie Beraud-Sudreau, program director of military expenditure and arms production of the SIPRI.
World military spending exceeds 2 trillion USD in the EU
Given that European countries, from Sweden to Spain, have committed to increasing their defence budgets, the first indications are that the modernization and updating of weapons systems will be a key priority, Beraud-Sudreau analyses in statements to Bloomberg.
"Europe was already on a growing trend, and this trend will accelerate and intensify. Normally change happens slowly, until you are in a crisis and then change really happens. That is where we are now," adds Beraud-Sudreau, in a context in which the invasion of Ukraine has led several European governments to review spending, the outlet reports.
The report also highlights that "Russia increased its military spending by 2.9% in 2021, up to 650,900 million dollars [more than 600,000 euros], while concentrating its forces on the Ukrainian border," to reach 4.1% of GDP and the third consecutive year of growth, thanks to "high oil and gas revenues."
"By strengthening its defences against Russia, Ukraine's military spending has increased by 72% since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Spending was reduced in 2021, to 5,900 million dollars (about 5,500 euros), but continues to represent 3.2% of the country's GDP," the statement says.
World military spending exceeds 2 trillion USD in Spain
Spain, for its part, has earmarked 19.544 million dollars (some 18.100 billion) in 2021 to military spending: an amount that is above the 17.431 million dollars (16.140 million euros from the previous year and of the 17.189 million dollars (nearly 16,000 million euros) of 2019.
In fact, it is the largest expenditure made since 2011, when it rose to 19,695 million dollars (up from 18,200 million euros), according to numbers extracted from the SIPRI military expenditure database.
That investment made by Spain last year represents 1.4% of its GDP: the same percentage as in 2020 and 2 tenths more than in 2019, while we must go back to 20 years earlier, 2002, to find a higher rate, of 1.5% of Gross Domestic Product.
The Spanish figures are still far (although only in absolute terms) from countries such as the United Kingdom or Germany, the third with the highest spending in Central and Western Europe: The German government allocated about 56,000 million dollars (about 52,000 million euros) in its armed forces in 2021, which represents 1.3% of its GDP.
The SIPRI report comes after the announcement of Pedro Sánchez, president of Spain, of a new military aid package for Ukraine was announced 4 days ago, and after a CIS survey has shown the division of Spaniards regarding defence spending: 47.3% are in favour of the country increasing it, while 46.6% bet on not raising it or lowering it.
# World military spending exceeds 2 trillion USD #
