According to data newly released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), total global military spending increased by 7 per thousand in 2021 to $2 trillion 113 billion. The countries with the highest military spending in 2021 were the USA, China, India, England and Russia. Military expenditures of these five countries make up 62 percent of the global total.
Military spending hits record in second year of Corona virus pandemic
According to the SIRPI report, global military spending continued to increase in 2021, exceeding $2 trillion, reaching an all-time high. 2021 marks the seventh consecutive year that global military spending has risen.
Senior Fellow of the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Weapons Manufacturing Program, Dr. Diego Lopes da Silva, “Even in the midst of the economic problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, global military expenditures rose to a record level. A slowdown was recorded in the growth rate due to inflation. However, military expenditures increased by 6.1 percent.”
As a result of the rapid economic recovery in 2021, the global military burden, that is, global military expenditures, which is a part of global gross domestic product, decreased by 0.1 percentage point. Spending, which was 2.3 percent in 2020, was 2.2 percent in 2021.
America focuses on military research and development
America’s military spending in 2021 amounted to $801 billion. This amount is 1.4 percent below the expenditures made in 2020. While America’s military spending burden accounted for 3.7 percent of gross domestic product in 2020, this rate decreased to 3.5 percent in 2021.
The amount of funds allocated by the United States to military research and development increased by 24 percent between 2012 and 2021. Arms procurement funds, on the other hand, decreased by 6.4 percent over the same period. In 2021, both military research and development and arms supply decreased. Spending on military research and development decreased by 1.2 percent, while spending on arms procurement fell by 5.4 percent.
Researcher Alexandra Marksteiner of the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Weapons Manufacturing Program said, “The increase in research and development spending between 2012 and 2021 indicates that America is more focused on next-generation technologies. The American government is trying to maintain America’s superiority in military technology against strategic competitors. He emphasizes the necessity of it again and again.
Russia increased its military budget before the war
According to the report, Russia increased its military expenditures by 2.9 percent in 2021, while intensifying the troop build-up on the Ukrainian border, to 65 billion 900 million dollars. 2021 marked the third consecutive year that the Russian economy has grown. Russia’s military spending rose to 4.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2021.
Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, Director of the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Weapons Manufacturing Program, said: “High oil and gas revenues helped Russia increase its military spending in 2021. Russia’s military spending was between 2016-2019, low energy prices and Crimea in 2014. It decreased due to the sanctions imposed due to the annexation of Turkey,” he said.
The “national defense” budget, which accounts for three-quarters of Russia’s total military spending and includes operating costs and arms procurement funds, was increased during the year. The final amount was recorded as 48 billion 400 million. This amount was 14 percent higher than the budget created at the end of 2020.
Ukraine has increased its military spending by 72 percent since 2014, when Crimea was annexed, as it strengthened its defenses against Russia. Spending fell to $5 billion 900 million in 2021, but still accounted for 3.2 percent of Ukraine’s gross domestic product.
Large countries in the Far East and Oceania increased their spending
China, the second largest military spender in the world after the United States, allocated an estimated $293 billion to military spending in 2021. This amount corresponds to an increase of 4.7 percent compared to 2020. China’s military spending has been on the rise for the past 27 years. China’s budget for 2021 was the first of the 14th Five-Year Plan. The last five-year plan expires in 2025.
The Japanese government added another $7 billion to military spending after it approved the 2021 budget. As a result, spending increased by 7.3 percent and rose to $54 billion 100 million in 2021. This amount marks the highest annual increase since 1972. Australia also increased its military spending by 4 percent in 2021 and increased it to 31 billion 800 million dollars.
Senior researcher at SIPRI, Dr. Nan Tian said, “China’s growing influence in the South and East China seas has become one of the most important reasons for countries like Australia and Japan to increase their military spending. An example of this is the AUKUS trilateral security agreement between Australia, the UK and the United States. “Eight nuclear submarines worth $128 billion are expected to be supplied to Turkey,” he said.
Other countries also increased their military spending
Iran’s military budget increased for the first time in four years in 2021, reaching $26 billion 600 million. Funds allocated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps increased by 14 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 and accounted for 34 percent of total military spending.
NATO’s eight European members met the alliance’s target of 2% of GDP for military spending in 2021. Nine countries reached this target in 2020, compared to six in 2014.
Nigeria increased its military spending by 56 percent in 2021, raising it to $4.5 billion. This increase was recorded in response to violent actions that threaten security, such as extremism and separatist riots.
Germany, the third largest military spender in Central and Western Europe, spent $56 billion on the military in 2021. This amount corresponds to 1.3 percent of Germany’s gross domestic product. Germany’s military spending decreased by 1.4 percent compared to 2020 due to inflation.
Allocating 11 billion 600 million dollars to military expenditures in 2021, Qatar became the fifth largest spender on the military in the Middle East. Qatar’s military spending in 2021 was 434 percent higher than in 2010, the last year it released spending data.
India, on the other hand, took the third place with military spending of 76 billion 600 million dollars. This amount indicates an increase of 9 per thousand compared to the expenditures in 2020, and an increase of 33 percent compared to 2012.
As part of India’s initiative to strengthen its domestic arms industry, 64 percent of the 2021 military budget is reserved for Indian-made weapons.