Last year, the world noted the unprecedented growth of global military expenditures, which, according to the Stockholm Institute for Peace Problems Research (SIPRI), reached $ 2718 billion. This is 9.4% more than in the previous year, and is the fastest growth in times after the Cold War.
One of the main reasons for this growth was a full -scale war in Ukraine, which caused raising military spending among European countries. According to SIPRI, by 2024 more than 100 countries have increased their military expenditures, with many governments forced to give priority to military security, often to the detriment of other budgetary areas. Europe's military expenditures, including Russia, increased by 17%, reaching $ 693 billion. This became a major factor in the global growth of military expenditures in 2024. European countries have increased their defense costs except Malta. Russia's military expenditures increased by 38%, reaching $ 149 billion. This is twice as much as in 2015, and is 7.1% of Russia's GDP.
Ukraine, in turn, has also significantly increased its defense costs by 2.9%to $ 64.7 billion. This is 34% of the country's GDP, which is the largest military burden among all countries. In 2024, all NATO member states increased their military expenses. Of the 32 Alliance countries, 18 spent at least 2% of their GDP. The US military expenditures, the largest member of NATO, increased by 5.7%, reaching $ 997 billion, which is 37% of the total world military expenditures.
NATO European members spent $ 454 billion in defense, which accounts for 30% of all alliance expenditures. The main factor in this growth is the threat from Russia, as well as fears about the possible reduction of the role of the US in the Alliance. In the Middle East, military expenditures increased by 15%to $ 243 billion. Israel, in particular, increased its costs by 65%, reaching $ 46.5 billion, which has been the highest annual growth since the Six Day War. At the same time, Lebanon's military expenditures increased by 58%to $ 635 million, recovering after several years of decline. In Asia, China has increased its military expenses by 7%, reaching $ 314 billion, which is half of all costs in Asia and Oceania. Japan, in turn, noted the largest increase in military expenses over the last 70 years - by 21%, to $ 55.3 billion.
In total, 2024 has become a period of unprecedented growth of military spending in the world, which was noted not only in Europe, but also in the Middle East and Asia. Military defense costs have become an important priority for many countries, and this trend is likely to be stored in the coming years, which can lead to serious economic and social consequences for many countries.
