The world’s military expenditures in 2021 surpassed $2 trillion for the first time ever, hitting $2.113 trillion, according to the Trends in World Military Expenditure 2021 report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on April 25.
Global military spending in 2021 was 0.7 percent higher than in 2020 and 12 percent higher when compared to 2012. This is the seventh consecutive year of increase since 2015, with the COVID pandemic failing to put a stop to the “continuous upward trend,” the report (pdf) said.
