According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) Fact Sheet April 2023 ‘Trends In World Military Expenditure, 2022’, World military expenditure grew for the 8th consecutive year in 2022 by 3.7% in real terms (i.e. when adjusted for inflation) to an all-time high of US$2240 billion.
- With a military expenditure of US$81.4 billion, India was the fourth largest spender in the world in 2022. Its spending increased by 6.0% from 2021 and 47% from 2013.
- The United States, China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia, were the five biggest spenders in 2022, which together accounted for 63% of world military spending.
Key Facts:
i.Total world military spending accounted for 2.2% of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022.
ii.Military expenditure grew in four of the five geographical regions in 2022.
- The largest increase was in Europe (+13 per cent), followed by the Middle East (+3.2 per cent), Asia and Oceania (+2.7 per cent) and the Americas (+0.3 per cent). Spending decreased in Africa (–5.3 per cent).
- Spending increases in parts of Asia and Oceania also contributed to the global growth in 2022.
iii.Global spending grew by 19% over the decade 2013–22 and has risen every year since 2015.
iv.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was largely accounted for the growth in military spending in 2022.
- Ukraine’s military spending rose by 640% to $44.0 billion or 34% of GDP in 2022.
India’s Military Expenditure:
i.India’s expenditure on capital outlays, which fund equipment upgrades for the armed forces and to the military infrastructure along its disputed border with China, amounted to 23% of total military spending in 2022.
ii.Personnel expenses (i.e. salaries and pensions) remained the largest expenditure category in the Indian military budget, accounting for around half of all military spending.
iii.The increase in India’s spending shows the effects of border tensions with China and Pakistan.
Top 11 Countries with Highest Military Expenditure in 2022:
| Rank | Country | Spending (in US$ billion) 2022 | Rank in 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 877 | 1 |
| 2 | China | [292] | 2 |
| 3 | Russia | [86.4] | 5 |
| 4 | India | 81.4 | 3 |
| 5 | Saudi Arabia | [75.0] | 8 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 68.5 | 4 |
| 7 | Germany | 55.8 | 7 |
| 8 | France | 53.6 | 6 |
| 9 | South Korea | 46.4 | 10 |
| 10 | Japan | 46.0 | 9 |
| 11 | Ukraine | 44.0 | 36 |
[ ] – Represents the estimated value of spending
Recent Related News:
On 15th November 2022, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence, signed 5 Memoranda of Understanding(MoUs) with five companies involved in the defence industry to meet the requirements of Indian Defence and export markets.
About SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute):
It is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board – Stefan Löfven
Headquarters – Solna, Sweden
Establishment – 1966
