The U.S. Spends More on Its Military Than the Next 10 Countries Combined

The world spent over $1.9 trillion on militaries last year, according to the latest data on military expenditures compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). That's an increase of 3.6% since 2018, the largest annual growth in spending in the past decade since 2010.

The United States was the biggest driver of this growth, with its $732 billion in 2019 accounting for a full 38% of global military spending. That's more than the next 10 countries combined, a marked increase from the previous year when it was merely larger than the next seven combined.

The increase in US spending in 2019 alone was equivalent to the entirety of Germany’s military expenditure for that year. ‘The recent growth in US military spending is largely based on a perceived return to competition between the great powers,’ says Pieter D. Wezeman, senior researcher at SIPRI.

The U.S. is also still one of the largest military spenders per person, coming in second only to Israel.