A report by a Swedish institute indicates that the United States and China were the two countries that spent the most on defense last year, with 52% of the total. And Brazil occupies the seventeenth place on the list, as global military spending exceeded the barrier of 2 trillion dollars (1.8 trillion euros) for the first time in 2021, which is a historical record, according to information published today, Monday (25/04). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Sweden (SIPRI, short for Stockholm International Peace Research Institute). Total expenditures reached the $2.1 trillion mark, 0.7% more than in 2020 and 12% higher than values recorded ten years ago, in 2012. The figures indicate that 2021 is the seventh consecutive year that military spending has increased, which indicates that even In the midst of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, defense investments have not decreased. “Despite the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, global military spending has reached record levels,” says Diego Lopez da Silva, Senior Research Fellow with SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program. The five countries investing the most in military defense in 2021 were the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia, which together accounted for 62% of total spending. France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea, in that order, complete the list of the 10 countries that spent the most on arms last year. The institute notes that “China’s growing claim to the seas of East and Southeast Asia has been the main driver of military spending in countries such as Australia and Japan.” The United States easily leads alone, and the United States and China were responsible for 52% of the expenditures, according to the SIPRI calculation. China’s spending rose for the 27th consecutive year, reaching $293 billion, representing 14% of global spending, ahead of India (3.6%), the United Kingdom (3.2%) and Russia (3.1%). Although the United States has spent more than any other country, investment has been lower than in previous years. The Stockholm Peace Research Institute concluded that the decline was partly due to lower US government spending on research and development, but added that the country remained focused on developing next-generation technologies: Over the past decade, US research and development funding has increased. by 24%. The United States holds the absolute leadership in military spending with 38% of global expenditures – or 801 billion dollars (737 billion euros), which is 1.4% less than in 2020. “The US government has repeatedly emphasized the need to preserve its military technological advantage over of its strategic competitors,” the report notes. Russia and Ukraine are also growing in ranking amid the imminent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which was still in 2021, both countries saw an increase in their military spending. Russia, for example, has seen an increase in defense investment for the third year in a row. Russian spending rose 2.9% to 65.9 billion US dollars (about 60 billion euros), or 4.1% of the country’s GDP, according to the report. Stockholm Institute experts said the increase in spending was driven by higher prices for Russian fuel exports, at a time when Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine. In Ukraine, on the other hand, military spending has grown by 72% since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In 2021 alone, spending amounted to $5.9 billion (€5.4 billion), or 3.2% of GDP. The country ranks 36th on the list. Showing 17th in the list of the highest military spending country in Latin America, Brazil ranks 17th in the study developed and published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In 2021, Brazilian defense spending was $19.2 billion (17.6 billion euros), 4.3% less than the previous year. Another notable country in the region is Colombia, which appears at number 25 on the list, with investments of $10.2 billion (€9.3 billion), or 4.7% more than in 2020. The institute highlights this, since the signing of the peace agreement between the government Colombia and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), in 2016, increased defense spending in the country – with the exception of 2018. According to the report, this fact can be attributed to the ongoing conflicts between the government and other armed groups. “Germany ranks third among European countries The largest spenders, with total military spending in Europe reaching $418 billion in 2021, a 3% increase from 2020 and a 19% increase from 2012. The United Kingdom and France top the list, with Germany in third place. The continent’s largest economy has spent about 56 US$ 1 billion on the armed forces, or 1.3% of GDP. In addition to Europe, where spending grew by 3%, Asia and Oceania (3.5%) and Africa (1.2%) also saw increases in spending on military defense. On the other hand, Exhaust decreased s in the Middle East by -3.3%, and in the Americas by -1.2%. One of the most notable changes occurred in Iran, where the military budget increased for the first time in four years to $24.6 billion. Funding for the IRGC in particular grew 14% compared to 2020. (AFP, dpa, Lusa) 
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