The UK was 2022’s biggest spender in the region at $68.5 billion, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Europe’s military expenditure saw its sharpest year-on-year increase in at least 30 years in 2022, driven by the conflict in Ukraine, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) latest annual report. Meanwhile, total global military expenditure was up 3.7% in real terms, reaching a new height of $2.24 trillion.
Worldwide, the three biggest spenders last year were the United States, China and Russia, together accounting for 56% of the total. US spending dwarfed that of its geopolitical adversaries, however, reaching a total of $877 billion, while Beijing spent $292 billion and Moscow about $86.4 billion, according to SIPRI data.
The sharpest rise by far (13%) was seen in Europe, however, largely driven by Russian and Ukrainian spending, but also by ramped-up fears in neighboring…