»Weltweite Militärausgaben steigen 2020 auf fast 2 Billionen Dollar«

World military expenditure in 2020 is estimated to have been $1981 billion, the highest level since 1988—the earliest year for which SIPRI has a consistent estimate for total global military spending. World military expenditure in 2020 was 2.6 per cent higher in real terms than in 2019 and 9.3 per cent higher than in 2011. The global military burden—world military expenditure as a share of global gross domestic product (GDP)—rose by 0.2 percentage points in 2020, to 2.4 per cent. This increase was largely due to the fact that most countries in the world experienced severe economic downturns in 2020 related to the Covid-19 pandemic, while military expenditure continued to rise overall.

With a military budget of an estimated $778 billion, the USA remained the world’s largest spender in 2020, accounting for 39 per cent of global military spending. In 2020 the USA spent almost as much on its military as the next 12 largest spenders combined. The US military burden amounted to 3.7 per cent of GDP in 2020, up by 0.3 percentage points on the previous year.

China, the world’s second largest military spender in 2020, is estimated to have accounted for 13 per cent of the global total. The $252 billion spent on the military in 2020 was 1.9 per cent higher than in 2019 and amounted to 1.7 per cent of GDP. China’s military expenditure has increased for 26 consecutive years. This growth is the result of China’s long-term military modernization and expansion process. According to China’s Ministry of National Defense, the increase in 2020 was in part motivated by perceived threats to China’s national security related to ‘power politics’.

Military expenditure by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members totalled $1103 billion in 2020. Six of the top 15 military spenders are members of NATO: the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Canada. Together, these six accounted for 90 per cent ($995 billion) of total NATO spending and 50 per cent of global military expenditure.

In 2020 Germany increased its military spending by 5.2 per cent to $52.8 billion or 1.4 per cent of GDP. Its military expenditure was 28 per cent higher than in 2011, when its military burden was 1.2 per cent of GDP. According to the Ministry of Defence’s approved budget covering 2021, Germany’s military spending is set to continue to rise.

Den vollständigen Bericht finden Sie hier.