The United States - at the top of the ranking of global arms spending

The United States topped the list of countries with the highest military spending in 2023, dedicating $916 billion to the military, according to statista.com.

This amount accounted for more than 40% of total global military spending in 2023, which amounted to $2.4 trillion. The amount is, however, the equivalent of 3.5% of US Gross Domestic Product (GDP), placing the United States lower in military spending as a percentage of GDP than, for example, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Algeria and Russia.

China was the second biggest military spender last year with about $296 billion, followed by Russia in third place with $109 billion. India ranks fourth, with $83.6 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia, with $75.8 billion; Great Britain, with 74.9 billion dollars; Germany, with 66.8 billion dollars; Ukraine, with 64.8 billion dollars; France, with $61.3 billion; Japan, with 50.2 billion dollars; South Korea, with 47.9 billion dollars; Italy, with 35.5 billion dollars; Australia, with $32.3 billion; Poland, with 31.6 billion dollars; Israel, with 27.5 billion dollars.

• US Congress: Defense spending to rise to $1.1 trillion by 2033

According to the US Congressional Budget Office, US defense spending will increase to $1.1 trillion by 2033. The largest parts of the budget are dedicated to the Departments of the Navy and the Air Force. The US Air Force budget for 2024 was nearly $260 billion, according to the source cited.

• Global military spending - $2.44 trillion in 2023

The value of military spending at the global level has increased steadily in recent years and will reach 2.44 trillion dollars in 2023. The reasons for this development are the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, the war in Gaza, as well as the increase in tensions in the China Sea from South. North America is by far the largest region in the world in terms of military spending, Statista concludes.