January 12, 2012

Military spending: USA vs. the world

Military expeditures 2010 (in billion 2009 USD, as % of 2009 GDP, and per capita) according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute:

Worldwide total:1,604b2.5%$229
Non-USA total:917b1.9%$137
USA:687b4.7%$2,196
China:114b2.2%$85
France:61b2.5%$938
UK:57b2.7%$915
Russia:53b4.3%$371
Japan:51b1.0%$399
Germany:47b1.4%$575
Saudi Arabia:43b11.2%$1,587
Italy:38b1.8%$626
India:35b2.8%$29
Brazil:28b1.6%$146
South Korea:24b2.9%$494
Canada:20b1.5%$578
Australia:20b1.9%$877
Spain:16b1.1%$346
UAE:16b7.3%$1,928
Turkey:16b2.7%$217
Israel:13b6.3%$1,667
Netherlands:12b1.5%$714
Greece:9b3.2%$833
Colombia:9b3.7%$194
Taiwan:8b2.4%$345
Poland:8b1.8%$210
Iran:7b1.8%$92
Venezuela:3b1.3%$112

The military expenditures of the next highest 22 countries after the USA, including the two most populous nations, China and India, all together equal those of the USA alone.

Military expenditures by the USA account for 43% of the worldwide total, are equal to 75% of the rest of the world's combined, and per capita are 16 times the average of the rest of the world.

Iran's military expenditures are one one-hundredth of the USA's, Venezuela's four-tenths of one one-hundredth. Per person, the USA spends 24 and 20 times more than Iran and Venezuela, respectively.