MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Military spending across the world increased by one percent in 2015, totaling almost $1.7 trillion, according to the report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published Tuesday.
"The increase reflects continuing growth in Asia and Oceania, Central and Eastern Europe, and some Middle Eastern states. The decline in spending in the West is also levelling off. At the same time, spending decreased in Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Thus, the global military expenditure picture is mixed," the report said.
The SIPRI's report added that the crash of oil prompted many oil revenue-dependent countries to drastically decrease its military budget. The most notable examples are Venezuela and Angola which reduced its military budget in 2015 by 64 and 42 percent respectively.
#SIPRIFacts #Milex pic.twitter.com/zbX4hRDtBy
— SIPRI (@SIPRIorg) 5 апреля 2016 г.
"The United States remained by far the world’s biggest spender in 2015, despite its expenditure falling by 2.4 per cent to $596 billion. Among the other top spenders, China’s expenditure rose by 7.4 per cent to $215 billion, Saudi Arabia’s grew by 5.7 per cent to $87.2 billion—making it the world’s third-largest spender—and Russia’s increased by 7.5 per cent to $66.4 billion," the report added.
The SIPRI is an independent international institute established in 1966 dedicated to research into arms control, disarmament and conflicts. The SIPRI is located in Stockholm and has a presence in Beijing.
