(ANSA-AFP) - STOCKHOLM, APRIL 26 - Global military spending continued to rise in 2020, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, reaching almost 2,000 billion dollars, against a significant decrease in world GDP. This was revealed in a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
Last year, military spending on the planet amounted to approximately € 1,650 billion, an increase of 2.6% yoy while global gross domestic product fell by 4.4%.
And in 2019, the highest level since the end of the Cold War had already been reached.
The increase in military spending in the face of an economic slowdown means - the researchers note - that the share of military spending on GDP in many countries has also increased: on average by 0.2 points in a year worldwide, to 2.4% It is the largest year-on-year increase since the 2009 financial crisis.
Last year, 12 NATO countries spent at least 2% of their GDP on their armed forces - the goal set by the organization, up from nine in 2019. However, while Laspesa military has increased globally, some countries like Chile or South Korea preferred to redirect part of what was reserved in bilan to this item of expenditure in order to respond to the health crisis. Other countries, such as Hungary, have instead decided to increase their military spending "as part of a stimulus plan in response to the pandemic".
The country that spent the most in this field - underlines Diego Lopes da Silva, co-author of the report - remained the United States, with an increase of 4.4%, to 778 billion dollars, equal to 39% of global spending. Three years of increases encouraged by the Trump presidency, although so far, notes DaSilva - the new Biden administration "has given no indication of cutting military spending." China is behind the United States, with 13% of global military spending.
(ANSA-AFP).