2023: Record $2443bn Global Military Spending, US Leads, India Ranks 4th - SIPRI Report

Current Context: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published a report titled “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2023” on April 22, 2024.

• The report revealed that global military expenditure reached an all-time high of USD 2443 billion in 2023, marking the steepest year-on-year rise since 2009.
• The increase was primarily attributed to the ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating geopolitical tensions in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East.
• The five biggest spenders were the United States, China, Russia, India, and Saudi Arabia, accounting for 61 percent of world military spending.
• The USA and China remained the top two spenders with expenditures of USD 916 billion and USD 296 billion respectively.
• India was the fourth largest military spender globally with an expenditure of USD 83.6 billion, mainly due to growing personnel and operations costs.

Question:

Q.1 Which two countries were the top spenders in military expenditure according to the report?
a. USA and Russia
b. China and India
c. USA and China
d. Russia and Saudi Arabia