Nonprofit organization World BEYOND War has created a series of maps on military matters, including military spending and weapons purchases.
On the “Money” map we will see data on the countries’ overall military expenditure and expenditure per capita.
Data comes from the years 2013-2024. Throughout the entire period covered and in previous years, the United States has consistently spent the most on the military. In 2024, this country spent almost one trillion dollars (almost the equivalent of the next 8 countries in the table combined)! Second in line, China spent more than three times less – just over 310 billion dollars. The top five are rounded out by Russia, Germany and China.
The data per capita are definitely more surprising. Here, a new leader emerges in the form of Israel, which spends almost 5 billion dollars per capita. The next places are the United States, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Norway and Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the ranking includes countries that do not spend any money on armaments, despite the growing geopolitical tensions in the world. In 2024, these were Costa Rica, Panama, Iceland and Venezuela.
WorldBeyondWar is also a source of many valuable information on the military, conflicts in the world and related topics. Similar to the issue of spending, they are accompanied by visualizations and tables with data presenting the given issues.
About World BEYOND War
World BEYOND War is a nonprofit organization with chapters around the world using educational, activist, and media work to advance the cause of ending all war and establishing lasting peace. WBW has a board, advisory board, staff, and chapter organizers all over the globe and works with allied organizations, many of which are WBW affiliates.
WBW was founded on January 1st, 2014, when co-founders David Hartsough and David Swanson, together with a group of like-minded peace advocates set out to create a global movement to abolish the institution of war itself, not just the “war of the day.”
