World Military Expenditure: U.S. and China represent almost half of the world total - International Peace Research Institute

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

世界の軍事支出、米中で世界のほぼ半分に　国際平和研究所

2019.04.30 Tue posted at 12:40 JST

（ＣＮＮ） スウェーデンのシンクタンク、ストックホルム国際平和研究所（ＳＩＰＲＩ）がこのほど発表した報告書によると、世界の軍事支出は２０１８年、主に米国と中国が押し上げる形で増大した。米中を合わせた軍事費は、世界のほぼ半分を占めている。

２０１８年の世界の軍事支出は前年比２．６％増の１兆８２２０億ドル（約２０３兆円）となり、信頼できる統計が取られ始めた１９８８年以来最大の規模だった。

軍事支出が最も多かったのは米国の６４９０億ドルで、世界の軍事費に占める割合は３５．６％。支出額は２位以下の８カ国を合わせた額にほぼ匹敵する。

２位の中国は５％増の２５００億ドルとなり、２４年連続で増大した。世界の軍事費に占める割合は１４％だった。

次いでサウジアラビア（６７６億ドル）、インド（６６５億ドル）、フランス（６３８億ドル）、ロシア（６１４億ドル）、英国（５００億ドル）、ドイツ（４９５億ドル）、日本（４６６億ドル）、韓国（４３１億ドル）の順だった。

ＳＩＰＲＩによると、アジアとオセアニア地域では、アジア諸国間の緊張状態や米中の対立に加速される形で軍事支出が増大した。この地域の軍事支出は５０７０億ドルと、世界総額の２８％を占めている。

一方、ロシアの軍事支出は過去２年で減少しているが、ロシアの脅威増大を認識するポーランドやウクライナなど中欧や東欧諸国の支出は大幅に増えた。

南米諸国の軍事支出は３．１％増えた一方で、アフリカは８．４％減、中東は１．９％減だった。中東の減少は、サウジアラビアが「債務や過剰支出」を理由に支出を削減したことに関係するとＳＩＰＲＩは分析している。

Translation

 (CNN) According to a report recently published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Swedish think tank, global military spending had increased in 2018, mainly in the form of a boost from the US and China. The combined military spending of the United States and China accounted for about half of the world total.

Global military spending in 2018 was $ 1.2822 trillion, an increase of 2.6 percent over the previous year, the largest since 1988 when reliable statistics began to be taken.

Military spending was the largest in the US at $ 649 billion, accounting for 35.6% of the world's military spending. The amount of spending was almost equal to the sum of the eight countries ranked after the second place.

China ranked second, up 5% to $ 250 billion, and it had been increasing for 24 consecutive years. It accounted for 14% of the world's military spending.

Next in descending order were Saudi Arabia ($ 67.6 billion), India ($ 66.5 billion), France ($ 63.8 billion), Russia ($ 61.4 billion), the United Kingdom ($ 50 billion), Germany ($ 49.5 billion), Japan ($ 46.6 billion), and South Korea ($ 43.1 billion).

According to SIPRI, in the Asia and the Oceania region, military spending had increased as tensions developed between Asian countries, and also the confrontation between the United States and China escalated. Military spending in the region was $ 507 billion, accounting for 28% of the world total.

Meanwhile, Russia's military spending had declined in the past two years; but spending in Central and Eastern European countries such as Poland and Ukraine, which were noting Russia's growing threats, had increased substantially.

Military spending in South American countries increased by 3.1% while Africa decreased by 8.4% and the Middle East down by 1.9%. SIPRI analyzed that the decline in the Middle East was related to Saudi Arabia’s reduced spending for reasons of "debt and overspending".

              It is surprising to know that Russia's military spending had declined in the past two years.