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stockholm international peace research institute
'Scandalous': G7 Nations Spend 62 Times More on Military Than Humanitarian Aid
"More must be invested in eradicating poverty and fostering peace and development, not fueling war and destruction," said one campaigner.
Jun 14, 2024
Despite historic levels of forced displacement due to armed conflict, Group of Seven member countries have increased their military expenditures to record highs while they slash spending on humanitarian aid for people affected by wars that these powerful nations often started or stoked, an analysis published Friday revealed.
According to Birmingham, England-based Islamic Relief Worldwide, military spending by G7 members Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—which wrapped up Friday in Puglia, Italy—rose to $1.2 trillion last year, the overwhelming bulk of that amount attributable to the U.S.' $886.3 billion Pentagon budget.
"Too many governments are putting far more resources towards acquiring weapons of war than helping those suffering the deadly impacts of conflict."
That's a 7.3% increase over 2022 levels, and 62 times what those countries spent on all humanitarian aid in response to wars and disasters.
"From Gaza to Sudan, Ukraine to Myanmar, we see millions of lives destroyed by war," Islamic Relief head of global advocacy Shahin Ashraf said in a statement. "The humanitarian needs today are greater than ever before, so it's scandalous that many wealthy G7 nations are cutting aid while spending more than ever before on weapons."
It's not just the G7. According to this year's Stockholm International Peace Research Institute annual analysis, global military spending increased 6.8% to a record $2.4 trillion in 2023.
"Too many governments are putting far more resources towards acquiring weapons of war than helping those suffering the deadly impacts of conflict," Ashraf asserted. "More must be invested in eradicating poverty and fostering peace and development, not fueling war and destruction."
Islamic Relief Worldwide said:
While some of the discussions at the G7 summit focus on restricting immigration into rich developed nations, most people displaced by conflict remain in war-torn countries and impoverished neighbouring countries. After more than a year of brutal war, Sudan is now the world's biggest displacement crisis with over 10 million people—about a quarter of the population—now forced from their homes. The vast majority of people fleeing the violence in Sudan remain in the country, with many receiving aid from local communities, youth groups, and mosques.
"As rich nations increasingly shut their borders and cut aid, in places like Sudan it is heartening to see the generosity of some of the world's poorest communities taking displaced people into their homes and sharing their food and water with them," said Ashraf. "But they need more international support, especially from the wealthiest countries."
Another analysis published ahead of the G7 summit by Oxfam International revealed that just 3% of the seven countries' 2023 military expenditures would be enough to "help end world hunger and solve the debt crisis in the Global South."
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'Halt This Madness': US Drove Last Year's Over $1.9 Trillion in Global Military Spending
"The COVID-19 crisis has made clearer than ever the flaws in our system, one that prioritizes military spending and global instability over the well-being of our people."
Apr 27, 2020
A new analysis on Monday showing that the world's military spending surpassed $1.9 trillion last year, once again led by the United States under President Donald Trump, provoked demands that governments across the globe prioritize peace and the health of people as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the planet.
The latest annual report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that the top military spenders after the U.S. were China, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Total spending in 2019 was 3.6% higher than in the previous year and accounted for 2.2% of global gross domestic product (GDP).
"Global military expenditure was 7.2% higher in 2019 than it was in 2010, showing a trend that military spending growth has accelerated in recent years," SIPRI researcher Nan Tian said in a statement. "This is the highest level of spending since the 2008 global financial crisis and probably represents a peak in expenditure."
The report was released Monday as the global number of confirmed COVID-19 cases climbed toward three million and the pandemic's death toll stood at over 207,000. Highlighting the new SIPRI data in the midst of the outbreak Monday, the U.K.-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) declared on Twitter that "out of this crisis we must build a world where real human needs are prioritized."
\u201cNew data released today by @SIPRIorg shows a post-WW2 record in global military spending in 2019 of $1917 billion. Out of this crisis we must build a world where real human needs are prioritised. Time to #MoveTheMoney #HealthcareNotWarfare #JustRecovery @DemilitarizeDay\u201d— CAAT (@CAAT) 1587986628
In a statement responding to the analysis, the International Peace Bureau (IPB) also pointed to the public health crisis as evidence of the need for a worldwide shift in priorities.
"The COVID-19 crisis has made clearer than ever the flaws in our system, one that prioritizes military spending and global instability over the well-being of our people," IPB said. "Indeed, global priorities are wrong; it is time for a new era of peace, a global ceasefire as called for by the U.N. and people around the globe. Let us demilitarize the world and invest in global peace and diplomacy."
Sharing a SIPRI infographic, IPB co-president Philip Jennings tweeted: "The military industry complex is raking it in and we don't feel safer. Time to halt this madness."
\u201cThe military industry complex is raking it in and we don\u2019t feel safer.Time to halt this madness.@IntlPeaceBureau\u201d— Philip Jennings (@Philip Jennings) 1587935096
The SIPRI findings, as the statement from Jennings' group noted, were published during IPB's Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), which run from April 10 to May 9 and "highlight the need to reallocate military expenditure to confront COVID-19 and the urgent social and environmental crises."
The new analysis followed a National Priorities Project report from last week that warned against a global pandemic response which aims to return to an old normal "defined by unfettered capitalism that thrives on the devastation of our planet, the devaluation of human life, and the use of military force to perpetuate both."
The SIPRI report also came after a bipartisan group of U.S. congressmembers were lambasted by progressives in late March for pressuring their fellow federal lawmakers to approve the purchasing of 19 more F-35 fighters than the Pentagon requested in an upcoming defense bill. The anti-war group Peace Pledge Union responded by criticizing the "outrageous priorities of militarists during the coronavirus pandemic."
Military spending by the United States--which has been the global epicenter of the pandemic for the past month--soared to $732 billion in 2019, accounting for 38% of the global military expenditure and representing a rise of 5.3% from the previous year. SIPRI senior researcer Pieter D. Wezeman said that "the recent growth in U.S. military spending is largely based on a perceived return to competition between the great powers."
\u201cWho were the top 10 military spenders in 2019?\n\n1) USA\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\n2) China\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3\n3) India\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3\n4) Russia\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddfa\n5) Saudi Arabia\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde6\n6) France\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\n7) Germany\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea\n8) UK\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\n9) Japan\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5\n10) South Korea\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddf7\n\nTogether they spent $1430 billion, accounting for 75% of global military spending \u27a1\ufe0f https://t.co/ZSlbz8iP16\u201d— SIPRI (@SIPRI) 1587975861
"There were increases in military spending by China (5.1%), India (6.8%), and Russia (4.5%). Spending fell in Saudi Arabia by 16%," according to SIPRI. China, in the second spot behind the U.S., spent $261 billion in 2019, and India, which ranked third globally, spent $71.1 billion.
"India's tensions and rivalry with both Pakistan and China are among the major drivers for its increased military spending," explained Siemon T. Wezeman, another SIPRI senior researcher.
Although, as the SIPRI statement pointed out, "the increase in U.S. spending in 2019 alone was equivalent to the entirety of Germany's military expenditure for that year," the European country's spending still rose by 10% last year to $49.3 billion, which was the largest increase among the top 15 ranked countries.
"The growth in German military spending can partly be explained by the perception of an increased threat from Russia, shared by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states," said SIPRI researcher Diego Lopes da Silva. "At the same time, however, military spending by France and the United Kingdom remained relatively stable."
Russia, ranked fourth globally, boosted its military spending by 4.5% to $65.1 billion in 2019. SIPRI researcher Alexandra Kuimova noted that "at 3.9% of its GDP, Russia's military spending burden was among the highest in Europe in 2019."
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Led by US Under Trump, Global Military Spending Soared to Highest Level in Recorded History Last Year
New analysis shows countries around the world spent a total of $1.82 trillion in 2018, with the U.S. and China in top spots
Apr 29, 2019
Global military spending reached its highest level since the records began two decades ago, according to a new analysis released Monday--an increase led by the United States and China.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed in its latest annual report that countries around the world collectively poured $1.82 trillion into their militaries in 2018, a 2.6 percent rise from the previous year. Together, the top two spenders, the United States and China, accounted for about half of all spending.
"The increase in U.S. spending was driven by the implementation from 2017 of new arms procurement program under the Trump administration," Aude Fleurant, director of SIPRI's Arms and Military Expenditure (AMEX) program, said in a statement.
\u201cAt $649 billion, US\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 military spending increased for the first time in 7 years by 4.6% in 2018. The US\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 remained the largest spender in the world, accounting for 36% of global military spending. \n\nRead more in SIPRI\u2019s Fact Sheet: https://t.co/vkhLyUZ155\n#MILEX #GDAMS\u201d— SIPRI (@SIPRI) 1556514902
Last year, the U.S. military expenditure--which represents more than a third of global spending--increased for the first time in seven years. It rose by 4.6 percent, hitting $649 billion.
SIPRI researcher Nan Tian told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that trend is expected to continue.
"They have started to implement a new modernization program of the military that will start in 2019 or 2020," Tian explained. "This is in the region of $1.8 trillion over the next 20 years. It is a massive amount of money being spent by the U.S.--and it ranges from conventional weapons to nuclear capabilities."
Progressives continue to criticize President Donald Trump for his focus on military spending--particularly in contrast with his lack of investment elsewhere, from education and housing to clean air and water.
Trump's recent budget proposal "finds vast billions for militarization, while it cuts much smaller poverty and other programs," Lindsay Koshgarian of the National Priorities Project and Rev. Drs. William J. Barber II and Liz Theoharis wrote for The Guardian last month.
"For too long, we have had budgets that provide security for a wealthy and powerful few rather than the poor and disenfranchised many," they added, acknowledging previous presidents' contributions to military expansion. "Real security means establishing peace, justice, and promoting the material wellbeing and liberty of all, including future generations."
\u201cThe US\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 spent $649 billion on the military in 2018, a total which is almost greater than the next top 8 countries combined. \n\nNew SIPRI analysis available now \u27a1\ufe0f https://t.co/gY0BuUP01h\u201d— SIPRI (@SIPRI) 1556535740
China, which secured the second spot for SIPRI's analysis, spent $250 billion on its military in 2018.
"Growth in Chinese military spending tracks the country's overall economic growth," Tian said in a statement. "China has allocated 1.9 percent of its GDP to the military every year since 2013."
Other big spenders, per the report, included Saudi Arabia ($67.6 billion), India ($66.5 billion), France ($63.8 billion), Russia ($61.4 billion), the United Kingdom ($50 billion), Germany ($49.5 billion), Japan ($46.6 billion), and South Korea ($43.1 billion).
Although Saudi Arabia decreased its military spending from the previous year, the kingdom--which, along with the United Arab Emirates, is leading a U.S. and U.K.-backed war on Yemen--still led the world as the biggest spender per capita. The United States ranked second.
Overall, SIPRI found that military expenditure rose in Central America and the Caribbean, Central Europe, Central and South Asia, East Asia, North America, South America, and Western Europe, but declined in Eastern Europe, North Africa, Oceania, South East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the countries in the Middle East for which data is available.
As a fact sheet (pdf) explains, SIPRI calculates a country's total military expenditure by considering what is spent on armed forces, defense ministries and related government agencies, para-military forces, and military space activities. That includes salaries and pensions for all relevant personnel "as well as expenditure related to operations and maintenance, procurement, military research and development, and military aid."
Nearly half of the 15 biggest spenders--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States--are members of NATO, an international military alliance of 29 North American and European countries. NATO nations put a total of $963 billion toward their militaries in 2018--over half of global spending.
\u201c7 of the 15 highest military spenders are members of #NATO: \n\nCanada\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\nFrance\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\nGermany\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea\nItaly\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9\nTurkey\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf7 \nUK\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\nUSA\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\n\nComparison in the graphic below and in SIPRI\u2019s latest report \u27a1\ufe0fhttps://t.co/vkhLyUZ155\n#MILEX #GDAMS\u201d— SIPRI (@SIPRI) 1556526602
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