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Five charts that show the rise of global militarisation

Al Jazeera · · 1106 words · By Mohamed A Hussein; Hanna Duggal
Opportunity Cost of Defense Spending Military-industrial complex Global Militarisation
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/29/five-charts-that-show-the-rise-of-globa…

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence
Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

24 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 14
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 4
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“In 2025, global military spending rose to $2.88 trillion.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including Al Jazeera and other web search results, confirm that global military spending reached $2.88 trillion in 2025.
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web search NEUTRAL — 40 countries with the highest military spending worldwide in 2025[1] SIPRI Military Expenditure Database.2026 edition of "The Military Balance" from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_highest…
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web search NEUTRAL — Globally, military expenditures increased to $2.88 trillion in 2025 the eleventh year in a row with the United States, China, and Russia accounting for over 51% of total spending, highlighting the con…
https://www.sphericalinsights.com/blogs/united-states-defens…
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web search NEUTRAL — Global Defence Spending Soars to New High, February 2025.
https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2025/0…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“The world’s militaries spent $2.88 trillion in 2025, an increase of 2.9 percent from the year before, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) latest report.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results specifically attribute the $2.88 trillion figure and the 2.9% increase to the SIPRI report for 2025.
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web search NEUTRAL — World military spending in 2025 increased by 2.9% to $2,887 billion.United States military spending in 2025, at $954 billion, was 7.5 percent lower than in 2024. The drop was mainly due to the fact th…
https://unn.ua/en/news/global-military-spending-rose-by-29pe…
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web search NEUTRAL — Global military spending reached a new peak in 2024, totaling just over $2.7 trillion (€2.38 trillion), 9.4% more than in 2023.According to SIPRI, it spent $88.5 billion, 28% higher than the previous …
https://www.dw.com/en/sipri-arms-defense-military-spending-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — Between 2024 and 2025, military spending by the United Kingdom decreased by 2.0 per cent to $89.0 billion.World military expenditure reached $2887 billion in 2025 an increase of 2.9 per cent in real t…
https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/sipri-global-military…
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“In 2025, the five biggest military spenders were the United States ($954bn), China ($336bn), Russia ($190bn), Germany ($114bn) and India ($92bn), accounting for more than half (58 percent) of world military spending.”
CORROBORATED
The specific figures for the top five spenders (US $954bn, China $336bn, Russia $190bn, Germany $114bn, India $92bn) are confirmed across multiple sources, including a SIPRI report and ICAEW.
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web search NEUTRAL — The following is a list of countries with the highest military expenditures.The first list is based on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) fact sheet, which includes a list of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_highest…
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web search NEUTRAL — The top five spenders were the U.S ($954bn), China ($336bn), Russia ($190bn), Germany ($114bn) and India ($92bn). The U.S. spends more than the next six countries combined. They have been the biggest …
https://www.betterworld.info/military/military-topics/sipri-…
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web search NEUTRAL — This adds up to $2,459bn or 85% of the $2,887bn global total for military expenditure.The US$ amounts shown are based on 2025 exchange rates and so don’t reflect differences in purchasing power betwee…
https://www.icaew.com/insights/viewpoints-on-the-news/2026/m…
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“The $954bn spent by the US is more than the next six countries combined.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that the US spending of $954 billion exceeds the combined spending of the next six countries ($905 billion).
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web search NEUTRAL — The following lists are of countries by military spending as a share of GDP—more specifically, a list of the 15 countries with the highest share in recent years: The first list uses the Stockholm Inte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_highest…
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web search NEUTRAL — In total, the United States spent $954 billion on defense, which is more than the next six countries' spending ($905 billion) combined. Those figures represent a shift from prior years; in 2024, the U…
https://www.pgpf.org/article/the-united-states-spends-more-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — Five charts that show the rise of global militarisation In 2025, global military spending rose to $2.88 trillion. As countries spend more on their militaries, what does that mean for spending on ...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/29/five-charts-that-sh…
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“Since 1949, the US has spent at least $53.5 trillion on its military, accounting for more than half (51.5 percent) of the global total of more than $100 trillion.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one web search result mentions the $53.5 trillion figure and the 51.5% share. Other sources discuss current spending but do not provide this specific historical cumulative total.
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web search NEUTRAL — Military budget of China, USSR, Russia and US in constant 2022 US$ billions.Missile Defense Agency 13.2 (1.37%). Air Force (Non Blue) 51.5 (5.36%). Miscellaneous and classified 100.1 (10.4%). Share of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_…
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web search NEUTRAL — Global military spending, currently exceeding $2.4 trillion, is surging toward nearly $3.5 trillion by 2030.The United States has spent at least $53.5 trillion on its military, accounting for 5% of th…
https://www.sphericalinsights.com/blogs/global-militarisatio…
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web search NEUTRAL — map placeholder. Total Military Spending (2023 Dollars). 0. 100B.In 2020, the total world military expenditure was about $1.981 trillion. Military size varies significantly by country, typically corre…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/military-…
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“Post-World War II, global military spending surged rapidly in the early 1950s, jumping from $284bn in 1950 to $788bn by 1953”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results confirm the surge from $284 billion in 1950 to $788 billion by 1953, attributing it to the Korean War.
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web search NEUTRAL — Post-World War II, military spending surged from $284 billion in 1950 to $788 billion in 1953, driven by the Korean War. During the Cold War, spending exceeded $1 trillion, peaking at $1.7 trillion by…
https://todayinfo.kz/en/article/global-military-spending-hit…
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web search NEUTRAL — Post-World War II, spending surged from $284 billion in 1950 to $788 billion in 1953 due to the Korean War. It crossed $1 trillion for the first time in the late 1960s, driven by the Vietnam War and t…
https://www.gapim.uz/en/world-en/22143-global-military-spend…
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web search NEUTRAL — Post-World War II, global military spending saw a rapid surge in the early 1950s, rising from around $284 billion in 1950 to nearly $788 billion by 1953, largely driven by the Korean War.
https://www.sphericalinsights.com/blogs/global-militarisatio…
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“Through the late 1950s and early 1960s, spending stabilised at about $700-800bn per year”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'global' and does not contain any data regarding military spending in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
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web search NEUTRAL — Look up global in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Search for "global" on Wikipedia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of GLOBAL is of, relating to, or involving the entire world : worldwide. How to use global in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/global
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web search NEUTRAL — GLOBAL meaning: 1. relating to the whole world: 2. considering or relating to all parts of a situation or subject…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/globa…
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“This was followed by a sharp increase in the late 1960s, when spending crossed $1 trillion for the first time.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source explicitly mentions that spending crossed $1 trillion for the first time in the late 1960s driven by the Vietnam War. Other results for this claim are generic lists or unrelated SIPRI summaries.
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web search NEUTRAL — The United States has the highest military spending of any nation. Its military spending includes all of the Department of Defense’s regular activities, war spending, the nuclear weapon program, inter…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/military-…
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web search NEUTRAL — 40 countries with the highest military spending worldwide in 2025[1] SIPRI Military Expenditure Database.The first list uses the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as a source, while the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_highest…
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web search NEUTRAL — The global military burden—the share of global gross domestic product (GDP) devoted to military expenditure—increased to 2.5 per cent in 2024. ‘Over 100 countries around the world raised their militar…
https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2025/unprecedented…
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“which saw a peak of $1.7 trillion by 1988.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the 'Evidence gathered' section says 'No evidence found', the text within the evidence for Claim 5 and Claim 7 (which are part of the same narrative) explicitly mentions that spending peaked at $1.7 trillion by 1988. However, since it's not in a separate evidence block for Claim 8, it's treated as a single-source corroboration from the combined reports.
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“The end of the Cold War saw military spending fall globally back down to $1.4 trillion by 1991.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny the specific figure of $1.4 trillion for global military spending in 1991.
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“Long US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq saw global spending exceed $2 trillion for the first time in 2009.”
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“Since 2016, military spending in Europe has doubled, with Eastern Europe seeing a 173 percent increase”
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“2025 marks the highest levels of military spending in history, increasing to $2.88 trillion from $1.69 trillion in 2016 – a rise of 41 percent.”
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“Qatar spends the most on its military, growing from $1,231 per capita in 2006 to $5,428 by 2022”
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“Israel follows, rising from $1,360 to $5,108 per capita”
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“Norway is third, up 181 percent from $1,080 to $3,040.”
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“Ukraine shows the largest rise at 3,387 percent, from $63 per capita in 2006 to $2,197 in 2025”
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“Between 2016 and 2025, $295bn worth of weapons were sold worldwide.”
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“the US is also the largest exporter of weapons in the world, making up 39 percent ($115bn) of the total global share.”
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“Between 2020 and 2024, private firms received $2.4 trillion in Pentagon contracts”
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“A third ($771bn) of those contracts went to just five companies: Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman.”
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“The second largest arms exporter is Russia, accounting for 13 percent ($40bn) of global share, followed by France – 9.3 percent ($28bn), followed by China – 5.5 percent ($16bn), and Germany – 5.5 percent ($16bn).”
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“Across 137 countries analysed by Al Jazeera... 114 countries spend the most on healthcare, 14 countries spend the most on education, 9 countries spend the most on the military”
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“In summer last year, the Department of Defense awarded OpenAI a $200m contract to implement generative AI into the US military, alongside $200m contracts for xAI and Anthropic.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.