According to the SIPRI report, states spent more on the military in 2023 than ever before

Whether the war in Ukraine or the Middle East: According to the report by the research institute SIPRI, states around the world will have spent more on their military in 2023 than ever before – and there seems to be no end in sight.

The USA, China and Russia spend the most money on their military. But also with a view to the whole world reported the Stockholm peace researchers a new, gloomy record: in 2023, the countries’ military spending rose to almost 2.3 trillion euros, as SIPRI analyst Nan Tian explains.

“The fact that spending is higher than ever and has increased so drastically reflects the worsening situation in the world,” he says. States were arming themselves and relying on military strength instead of diplomacy. “They are choosing paths that lead to escalation rather than de-escalation. This is very worrying for the whole world.”

Germany is joining in Military spending on

As a result of the war in Ukraine, many European NATO countries have invested significantly more in their military than before. Germany also made a leap – although so far only a small part of the special fund of 100 billion euros approved two years ago has been used for defense, said Nan.

According to SIPRI, Germany was in seventh place in 2023. “If Germany achieves NATO’s two percent target as planned, it will probably be in fourth place worldwide in the future – and would have by far the largest military expenditure in Western and Central Europe.”

Ukraine spends 37 percent of GDP on defense

Eleven of the 31 NATO countries reached the two percent target last year, four more than in 2022. Russia has also announced that it wants to invest even more. This is becoming an increasingly greater challenge for Ukraine, says the SIPRI expert.

While Russia recently spent almost six percent of its gross domestic product on defense, Ukraine spent 37 percent. “The economic burden of the war is much higher for Ukraine than for Russia. That’s why the question naturally arises as to how much longer Ukraine can invest so much money, especially as needs continue to rise,” he says.

Climate crisis is in danger of being forgotten

According to the Stockholm peace researchers, when countries increase their military spending in the short term, they overlook other important areas such as health – but also long-term threats such as the climate crisis, says Nan. “2023 was the warmest year we have experienced, and March 2024 was the warmest month ever. That’s why governments need to find a balance: how much should be spent on the military – and how much should be spent on social and human security?”

The experts see black for the immediate future. In many conflicts there is no prospect of a quick solution. Peace researcher Nan Tian cites the situation in the Gaza Strip as an example: Israel’s investments in its military are increasing tensions and the potential for a larger regional conflict in the Middle East.

“It is unlikely that the security situation will improve in 2024 or even 2025,” he says. “The conflicts continue, including of course the war in Ukraine. Nobody knows when this might end.” Therefore, countries’ military spending would continue to increase, at least in the short term. “One can therefore assume that the security situation in the world will continue to deteriorate.”

“We live in turbulent and dangerous times” – these words, says Nan Tian, ​​can be used to describe developments in the world.