The US spent $877 billion on defense last year|U.S. Department of Defense|Public Domain

Global military spending grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2022 to reach a record high of $2,240 billion. The US stood out with a massive contribution of $877 billion.

The report from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says that US defense spending in 2022 was more than the next ten countries combined—China ($292B), Russia ($86B), India ($81B), Saudi Arabia ($75B), UK ($69B), Germany ($56B), France ($54B), Japan ($46B), South Korea ($46B) and Ukraine ($44B).

Although US financial military aid to Ukraine last year, $19.9B, was the largest by any country in any year since the Cold War, “it represented only 2.3 per cent of total US military spending,” notes the SIPRI report.

Triggered by Ukraine
Europe had the sharpest rise (13%) in military spending last year, mostly triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Several European countries like Finland (36%), Lithuania (27%), Sweden (12%) and Poland (11%) had the highest acceleration in defense spending.

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa spent the least (less than 1%) last year. The region also was the only one to have spent less than it did in 2021.