Defense budget

The defense budget , also known as the defense budget or defense budget (also with the prefix "defense" or "military"), comprises all investments and monetary expenditures that a state makes on strategic assets over a limited period of time . Extended definitions extend, in addition to the defense budgets of the sovereign states, to the military expenditures of those few non-state political actors with constant access to financial resources that allow them to use force flexibly for political purposes. These include, above all, paramilitary groups.

A defense budget is usually estimated annually, even if many investments are planned for a much longer period of time. The United States has the largest defense budget in decades, in the order of several hundred billion US dollars a year .

Historically speaking, a defense budget that was budgeted at regular intervals was accompanied by the transition from armed forces that were dug up or recruited for a specific purpose (for example peasant armies or mercenaries ) to standing armies .

The conflict research deals with defense spending as a factor of violent political conflicts may favor, while the international relations in a comparative framework to examine the circumstances under which incurred defense spending, the security dilemma trigger, for example, as part of an arms race .

Definition approaches

The Stockholm Institute for Peace Research (SIPRI), a research institute recognized in international relations , defines the funding of the following strategic capacities as a defense budget:

• Armed forces , including all contingents that a state has provided for peace missions
• Defense ministries and all authorities involved in the preparation and implementation of militarily relevant projects
• paramilitary forces trained, equipped and deployed for military operations
• the military use of space

Typically, a defense budget includes the following assets:

• Personnel expenses, including
  • all current expenses for military and civilian personnel
  • regular pensions for military personnel
  • Social transfers for staff and their families
• Operation and operating costs
• military research and development (R&D)
• military construction costs
• military development aid

In the absence of any direct reference to the military purpose of a defense budget, SIPRI excludes the following items from its calculations:

• Civil defense
• Follow-up costs for investments that have already been made, such as social benefits for veterans , demobilization costs, expenses for the civil use of military properties and armaments, as well as disarmament and defusing costs

Worldwide development

The Stockholm Peace Research Institute puts global defense spending at US $ 1.531 trillion in 2009, which means a real increase of six percent over the previous year and 49 percent over the year 2000. This corresponds to a share in the world gross domestic product of 2.7% and a per capita expenditure of 224 US dollars . Eastern Europe recorded the greatest growth in this area with an increase of 108 percent within ten years.

Russia has secret or "closed" items in budget spending, which total 4.6 percent of GDP. "It is probable that this is not intended to cover up expenditures for education or health, but rather additional expenditures for military purposes and secret service operations." Said the NZZ in 2015.

2008

According to SIPRI, the United States provided 43% of global defense spending in 2008, followed by the People's Republic of China with 6.6%, France with 4.2% and the United Kingdom with 3.8%.

The table below shows the Stockholm Peace Research Institute's estimate of the defense budget in 2008 for the 15 countries with the largest defense budgets in the world.

rank	country	Spending (in billion US dollars)	Share of global expenditure	Expenditure per capita (in US dollars)	Share of gross domestic product (2007)	Change compared to 1999 (in%)
1	United States	607	41.5	1,967	4.0	66.5
2	People's Republic of China	(84.9)	(5.8)	(63)	(2.0)	194
3	France	65.7	4.5	1,061	2.3	3.5
4th	United Kingdom	65.3	4.5	1,070	2.4	20.7
5	Russia	(58.6)	(4.0)	(413)	(3.5)	173
6th	Germany	46.8	3.2	568	1.3	−11.0
7th	Japan	46.3	3.2	361	0.9	−1.7
8th	Italy	40.6	2.8	689	1.8	0.4
9	Saudi Arabia	38.2	2.6	1,511	9.3	81.5
10	India	30.0	2.1	25th	2.5	44.1
11	South Korea	24.2	1.7	501	2.7	51.5
12	Brazil	23.3	1.6	120	1.5	29.9
13	Canada	19.3	1.3	581	1.2	37.4
14th	Spain	19.2	1.3	430	1.2	37.7
15th	Australia	18.4	1.3	876	1.9	38.6

Annotation:

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Figures in brackets are estimates, while the Saudi defense budget may include spending on maintaining law and order and may therefore have been overestimated.

2011

space	country	Spend 2011 (in billion US dollars)
1	United States	739
2	People's Republic of China	89.8
3	United Kingdom	62.7
4th	France	58.8
5	Japan	58.4
6th	Russia	52.7
7th	Saudi Arabia	46.2
8th	Germany	44.2
9	India	37.3
10	Brazil	36.6

2013

Data according to information from SIPRI

rank	country	expenditure	Share of GDP	Development 2004–13 †
1	United States	$ 640 billion	3.8%	▲ 12%
2	People's Republic of China	$ 188 billion	2.0%	▲ 170%
3	Russia	$ 87.8 billion	4.1%	▲ 108%
4th	Saudi Arabia	$ 67.0 billion	9.3%	▲ 118%
5	France	$ 61.2 billion	2.2%	▼ 6.4%
6th	United Kingdom	$ 57.9 billion	2.3%	▼ 2.5%
7th	Germany	$ 48.8 billion	1.4%	▲ 3.8%
8th	Japan	$ 48.6 billion	1.0%	▼ 0.2%
9	India	$ 47.4 billion	2.5%	▲ 45%
10	South Korea	$ 33.9 billion	2.8%	▲ 42%
11	Italy	$ 32.7 billion	1.6%	▼ 26%
12	Brazil	$ 31.5 billion	1.4%	▲ 48%
13	Australia	$ 24.0 billion	1.6%	▲ 19%
14th	Turkey	$ 19.1 billion	2.3%	▲ 13%
15th	United Arab Emirates	$ 19.0 billion	4.7%	▲ 85%

Dates in italics are estimates. UAE data are for 2012. ^† in constant 2012 prices

2016

Data according to information from SIPRI

rank	country	expenditure	Share of GDP
1	United States	$ 611.2 billion	3.3%
2	People's Republic of China	$ 215.7 billion	1.9%
3	Russia	$ 69.2 billion	5.3%
4th	Saudi Arabia	$ 63.7 billion	10.0%
5	India	$ 55.9 billion	2.5%
6th	France	$ 55.7 billion	2.3%
7th	United Kingdom	$ 48.3 billion	1.9%
8th	Japan	$ 46.1 billion	1.0%
9	Germany	$ 41.1 billion	1.2%
10	South Korea	$ 36.8 billion	2.7%
11	Italy	$ 27.9 billion	1.5%
12	Australia	$ 24.3 billion	2.0%
13	Brazil	$ 22.8 billion	1.3%
14th	United Arab Emirates	$ 22.8 billion	5.7%
15th	Israel	$ 17.8 billion	5.8%
16	Canada	$ 17.8 billion	1.0%
17th	Spain	$ 14.9 billion	1.2%
18th	Turkey	$ 14.9 billion	2.0%
19th	Iran	$ 12.3 billion	3.0%
20th	Algeria	$ 10.6 billion	6.7%

2018

Data according to information from SIPRI

rank	country	expenditure	Share of GDP
1	United States	$ 649 billion	3.2%
2	People's Republic of China	$ 250 billion	1.9%
3	Saudi Arabia	$ 67.6 billion	8.8%
4th	India	$ 66.5 billion	2.4%
5	France	$ 63.8 billion	2.3%
6th	Russia	$ 61.4 billion	3.9%
7th	United Kingdom	$ 50.0 billion	1.8%
8th	Germany	$ 49.5 billion	1.2%
9	Japan	$ 46.6 billion	0.9%
10	South Korea	$ 43.1 billion	2.6%
11	Iran	$ 12.2 billion

Dates in italics are estimates.

Germany

Defense budget of (West) Germany from 1950 to 2003

Defense budget of Germany by share of GDP

Cold War

After the Second World War , Germany initially had no armed forces and therefore no defense budget. The development of armed forces in the GDR was initially nominally in the form of police forces (from 1948, “readiness of the people's police”, from 1952: barracked people's police ). In 1950, the Blank Office was established in the Federal Republic to prepare for rearmament . The costs of these organizations have not been included in the defense budget. From 1955/56 there were again German armed forces with the Bundeswehr and NVA . Due to the circumstances of the Cold War , the defense budgets of both German states rose sharply at the end of the 1950s. In 1960 the defense budget of the Federal Republic of Germany amounted to 7.45 billion DM (3.81 billion euros) and the share of the federal budget was 24.6 percent.

The building of the wall stabilized armament expenditure in the west. However, arms spending in the GDR continued to rise. In 1968 the defense budget was increased by 60%. The official détente in the 1970s left no mark on the defense budget. The greatest growth rates in the defense budget occur during this period. Only when the Helmut Kohl government took office did the percentage increases in the Defense Minister's budget fall again. In 1990 the defense budget including the NVA budget for the second half of the year was around 57.54 billion DM (29.42 billion euros). The share in the federal budget was 15.1 percent.

Peace dividend until 1999

After the fall of the Wall there was a massive cut in the defense budget. Because the Warsaw Pact threat no longer existed , the NVA was integrated into the Bundeswehr and the Bundeswehr's workforce was massively reduced. One speaks of the " peace dividend ". In the years up to 1997 there were significant cuts every year. In the following years, too, the defense budget fell almost every year, adjusted for inflation.

1999

The defense budget in 1999 was DM 47.52 billion (EUR 24.30 billion), of which:

• 50.24 percent or 23.84 billion DM (12.19 billion euros) on personnel expenses
• 15.61 percent or 7.42 billion DM (3.79 billion euros) on military procurement
• 15.19 percent or 7.22 billion DM (3.69 billion euros) on other operating expenses
• 8.79 percent or 4.18 billion DM (2.14 billion euros) on material maintenance and operation
• 5.30 percent or 2.52 billion DM (1.29 billion euros) on research, development and testing
• 3.94 percent or 1.87 billion DM (0.96 billion euros) on the military installations
• 0.93 percent or 0.44 billion DM (0.23 billion euros) on other investments.

This corresponded to a share of 74.22 percent or 35.27 billion DM (18.03 billion euros) for operating costs and 25.78 percent or 12.25 billion DM (6.26 billion euros) for defense-related expenditure (development and procurement of new equipment).

The budget for 2019 was around 43.2 billion euros.

The budget for 2020 amounts to around 45.2 billion euros.

China

• March 2004 to March 2005: 245 billion yuan ($ 26.7 billion)
• March 2005 to March 2006: 281 billion yuan ($ 30.7 billion)
• March 2006 to March 2007: 283.8 billion yuan ($ 31 billion)
• March 2007 to March 2008: 350.9 billion yuan (38.3 billion euros)
• March 2008 to March 2009: 375.75 billion yuan ($ 41 billion)
• March 2009 to March 2010: 472.87 billion yuan (US $ 51.6 billion)
• March 2010 to March 2011: 532 billion yuan (€ 58 billion)
• March 2011 to March 2012: 601 billion yuan (€ 65.6 billion)

In China, however, much military expenditure is covered by other budget items. The exact spending on the military is not disclosed. The actual defense budget is estimated to be two to three times that.

France

In the French state budget, the resources of the Ministry of the Armed Forces are divided into three areas, the "Defense" area, which brings together the majority of the funds, the inter-ministerial area "Veterans, commemoration and links with the nation" and the inter-ministerial area "Research and higher education" .

Scheme of France's defense budget between 1988 and 2003

The French defense budget is one of the highest in Europe. The general trend towards more defense budgets in France in 2019 continues as in most European countries. The defense budget, including pensions, rose from € 38.99 billion in 2014 to € 46.1 billion in 2020, which corresponds to a current increase of 18.2 percent. These figures are not directly comparable with those of other NATO countries, but nevertheless reflect a considerable investment in the purchase of new equipment.

In 2019, the defense budget was around 44.4 billion euros (including pensions) or 35.8 billion euros without taking pension obligations into account. The effective budget available for the French armed forces in 2020 is around 37.60 billion euros. The French military budget is thus the third highest defense budget in Europe after Germany with € 45.2 billion (2020) and Great Britain.

Development of the defense budget in billion euros and as a percentage of the French GDP

Programs	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
GDP France [billion €]	2147.6	2198.4	2234.1	2295.1	2353.1	2416.9	2479.4
Defense budget (including pensions) [billion €]	38.99	38.89	39.69	40.59	42.63	44.40	46.10
Defense budget (excluding pensions) [billion €]	-	31.15	31.73	32.44	34.20	35.80	37.50
% Military budget (including pensions) / GDP	1.82%	1.78%	1.77%	1.77%	1.81%	1.83%	1.86%
swell

Around 10% of the French defense budget goes to the Force de frappe (nuclear forces) alone .

United States

Under the administration of George W. Bush , the defense budget of the United States increased sharply after 2001. The increase is seen as the main cause of the budget deficits in recent years. The budget balance, which was still positive in 2001 of 127 billion dollars, turned negative in 2002. In 2002 the US budget deficit was $ 158 billion and in 2005 it was $ 427 billion. According to current estimates, z. B. the Iraq war to date over 5 trillion dollars.

Historical development of the US defense budget 2001–2012

year	Defense budget
2000	$ 375.9 billion
2001	$ 378.9 billion
2002	$ 425.5 billion
2003	$ 484.3 billion
2004	$ 527.8 billion
2005	$ 553 billion
2006	$ 561.6 billion
2007	$ 576.3 billion
2008	$ 618.9 billion
2009	$ 668.6 billion
2010	$ 687.1 billion
2011	$ 698.3 billion
2012	$ 662 billion (planned)
2015	$ 577 billion (approved)
2016	611 billion USD (according to SIPRI )
2019	$ 716 billion
2020	$ 738 billion [1]

Neutral states

Finland, 2010: 2.7 billion euros
Austria, 2010: 2.5 billion euros
Sweden, 2010: 40.664 billion crowns (approx.4.4 billion euros)
Switzerland, 2010: 4.813 billion Swiss francs (approx , 8 billion euros)

Greece and Turkey

Military spending between 2003 and 2012 in US dollars:

Military budget

	Turkey		Greece
year	in USD million	in% / GDP	in USD million	in% / GDP
2012	18,184	2.3%	6,972	2.5%
2011	17,906	2.3%	6,709	2.2%
2010	17,690	2.4%	8,869	2.7%
2009	17,275	2.6%	11,455	3.3%
2008	16,119	2.3%	10,995	3.1%
2007	15,924	2.3%	9,891	2.8%
2006	16,511	2.5%	9,898	2.9%
2005	15,799	2.5%	9,520	2.9%
2004	16,689	2.8%	8,804	2.7%
2003	18,287	3.4%	8.008	2.6%

See also

• List of armed forces

Web links

• Database of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute to national defense spending (English)
• NATO database of members' defense spending (English, French)
• Ranking of countries with the highest defense spending, as measured by the GDP , in the CIA World Factbook (English)
• Chronological progression of military spending 1830-2019. YouTube video.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: The SIPRI definition of military expenditure. ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: Military Spending and Armament. Accessed July 12, 2009. 
2. ^ ^{A b} Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: Recent trends in military expenditure. ( Memento of the original from September 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Accessed March 9, 2011). 
3. ↑ Russia's imperial aberration. In: NZZ. 19th June 2015
4. ↑ Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: The 15 major spender countries in 2008 (table). In: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Military Spending and Armament. Accessed July 14, 2009.
5. ↑ SIPRI.org: trends in world military expenditure, 2013 Sam Perlo-Freeman and Carina Solmirano. ( Memento of the original from July 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) from April 14, 2014. 
6. ↑ Sam Perlo-Freeman, Carina Solmirano: TRENDS IN WORLD MILITARY EXPENDITURE, 2013 (archive version). (PDF) Sipri Fact Sheet, April 2014, accessed on December 23, 2017 (English). 
7. ↑ World Military Spending 2017. (PDF) In: SIPRI. Retrieved July 9, 2017 . 
8. ↑ Trends in world military expenditure, 2018. (PDF) In: SIPRI. Retrieved September 1, 2019 . 
9. ↑ From TIME to TIME. In: The time. December 22, 1967 No. 51.
10. ↑ Federal Budget 2019. Section 14. Federal Ministry of Defense. In: bmvg.de. Federal Ministry of Defense, accessed on June 6, 2019 . 
11. ^ Defense budget: Defense budget 2019. In: bmvg.de. Federal Ministry of Defense, accessed on June 6, 2019 . 
12. ↑ Cabinet adopts draft budget 2020: Defense spending increases . bmvg.de. June 27, 2019. Accessed March 23, 2020.
13. ↑ China is arming and threatening Taiwan . wiwo.de, March 4, 2006, accessed on March 4, 2011.
14. ↑ China's distribution budget for 2007 at the same level as in previous years . CRIonline, March 4, 2007, accessed March 4, 2011.
15. ↑ China scares Pentagon . Tagesspiegel, March 4, 2008, accessed March 4, 2011.
16. ↑ China's distribution budget increases slightly in 2009 . China Embassy, ​​March 5, 2009, accessed March 4, 2011.
17. ↑ Chinese military: Don't want to challenge America . faz.net, March 4, 2010, accessed March 4, 2011.
18. ↑ China increases military spending . Die Zeit, March 4, 2011, accessed on March 4, 2011.
19. ^ Nicolas Gros-Verheyde: Le Royaume-Uni, premier budget de defense en Europe? Vrai ou faux. In: B2 Le blog de l'Europe politique. November 23, 2018, accessed May 5, 2020 (French). 
20. ↑ Results of the research | Insee. Retrieved May 5, 2020 . 
21. ↑ Projet de loi de finances pour 2017: Defense. French Senate , November 2016, accessed May 5, 2020 (French). 
22. ↑ Defense. (PDF) French Ministry of Budget, archived from the original ; accessed on May 5, 2020 (French). 
23. ↑ Projet de loi de finances pour 2018: Defense. French Senate , 2017, archived from the original ; accessed on May 5, 2020 (French). 
24. ^ Nicolas Gros-Verheyde: Le Royaume-Uni, premier budget de defense en Europe? Vrai ou faux. In: B2 Le blog de l'Europe politique. November 23, 2018, accessed May 5, 2020 (French). 
25. ↑ AFP: Les députés votent le budget 2020 de la Défense, à nouveau en bull market. In: ouest france. October 30, 2019, accessed May 5, 2020 (French). 
26. ↑ Henning Hoff: The Three Trillion War. In: ZEIT Online. February 26, 2008, accessed June 6, 2019 . 
27. ↑ Obama approves US military budget under protest  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. stern.de news ticker, January 1, 2012, accessed January 6, 2012.  
28. ↑ Military expenditure by country, in constant (2017) US $ m.,. In: sipri.org. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2018, p. 17 , accessed June 6, 2019 . 
29. ↑ USA: Donald Trump signs defense budget. In: ZEIT Online. August 14, 2018, accessed June 6, 2019 . 
30. ^ SIPRI Military Expenditure Database - SIPRI .