Russia increases for the third consecutive year
According to a report by the International Peace Research Institute Stockholm (Sipri), despite the economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have increased their arsenal, with global military spending increasing by 0.7% last year.
Diego Lopes da Silva, senior research fellow at Sipri, told AFP: "In 2021, military spending increased for the seventh consecutive year, reaching $2.1 trillion. That is the highest number we have ever had."
Russian spending rose 2.9% - the third consecutive year - to $65.9 billion.
Lopes da Silva pointed out that defense spending accounts for 4.1% of Russia's gross domestic product (GDP), "higher than the world average" and makes Russia the fifth largest spender in the world.
High oil and gas revenue has helped Russia boost military spending. Mr. Lopes da Silva noted that Russia has sharply increased military spending at the end of the year. This happened as Russia concentrated troops along the Ukrainian border before launching the war in February 2022.
Whether Russia can maintain spending is unpredictable due to the West's sanctions on Russia following its military campaign in Ukraine, Lopes da Silva said.
In 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, Russia was subject to sanctions at the same time as falling energy prices. Therefore, it is difficult to assess the impact of the sanctions.
We have even heavier sanctions now, but we have high energy prices that will allow Russia to maintain military spending at that level, Lopes da Silva noted.
On the other hand, Ukraine's military spending has increased by 72% since Russia's occupation of Crimea. Military spending fell more than 8% in 2021 to $5.9 billion but still accounts for 3.2% of Ukraine's GDP.
As tensions in Europe heightened, many NATO countries have increased military spending.
Last year, eight NATO member states achieved the goal of spending 2 GDP on military spending, Sipri said.
Lopes da Silva expects spending in Europe to continue to increase.
The US, the country that goes farthest in military spending with $801 billion, has actually reversed the global trend and reduced spending by 1.4% in 2021.
US focuses on advanced technology
Over the past decade, US spending on research and development has increased by 24% while arms purchases have decreased by 6.4%. However, according to 2021 data, researchers found that the US is focusing on next-generation technologies.
The US government has repeatedly stressed the need to maintain the US militarys technological advantage over strategic opponents, said Alexandra Marksteiner, another researcher at Sipri.
China, the world's second largest military spender with an estimated $293 billion, has increased spending to 4.7%, marking the 27th consecutive year of spending increases.
China's military increase has caused neighboring countries in the region to increase their military budgets, with Japan adding an additional $7 billion, up 7.3% - the highest annual increase since 1972,
Australia also spends an additional 4% on the military, reaching $11.8 billion in 2021.
India, the world's third largest spender with $76.6 billion, also increased spending in 2021, but more modestly, at 0.9%.
He is No. 4, with a military spending increase of 3% to 68.4 billion USD, positioning Saudi Arabia. The Middle Eastern country has reduced its military spending in 2021 by 17% to an estimated $25.6 billion.
