US is the biggest spender on arms

The US is the country that spent most on arms last year, according to an annual report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The purpose of the institute is to monitor, describe and analyse trends and developments in military expenditure worldwide.

The Sipri military expenditure project was initiated in 1967 to study developments in world military expenditure.

Military expenditure is an indicator of the economic resources devoted to military purposes. There is no direct relationship between the level of military expenditure and output in terms of military resources, military activities or military capability. Military expenditure is an input measure and military output depends on several factors other than its financing. However, analysed in its economic and political context, the level and trend in military expenditure can provide information not only on the cost of military activities but also about their extent and change over time, which can have an impact on military capability or reflect military intentions.

The Sipri database on military expenditure covers 172 countries. Data for the most recent 10-year period are published annually in the Sipri Yearbook. Data from 1988 is available in the SIPRI military expenditure database on-line.

Sipri provides the only long-term, historically consistent series of military expenditure data with global coverage available today.

Military expenditure data are based on open sources, including a Sipri questionnaire on military expenditure, which is sent out annually to the countries included in the database.

Collected data are processed to achieve consistent time series and as far as possible in accordance with the Sipri definition of military expenditure.

The following table lists the 15 countries that spent the most on arms in 2008, being the latest data, showing spending in billions of dollars, world percentage.

1. United States $607 +66.5%

2. China (estimate4) $84.9 +194.0%

3. France $65.7 +3.5%

4. Britain $65.3 +20.7%

5. Russia(estimate) $58.6 +173.0%

6. Germany $46.8 -11.0%

7. Japan $46.3 -1.7%

8. Italy $40.6 +0.4%

9. Saudi Arabia $38.2 +81.5%

10. India $30 +44.1%

11. South Korea $24.2 +51.5%

12. Brazil $23.3 +29.9%

13. Canada $19.3 +37.4%

14. Spain &19.2 +37.7%

15. Australia $18.4 +38.6%