Saudi Arabia in 2014; Highest Increase in Military Budget

According to a report released by a military studies think tank, while countries like the United States slightly reduced their military budgets in 2014, the overall military budget in the world remained roughly the same as in previous years due to increases in arms purchases by several other countries. The latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published on Monday, April 24, indicated that global arms trade reached over $1.8 trillion last year, showing only a 0.4% decrease compared to the previous year. The report states that while the United States and Western European countries slightly reduced their military budgets last year, regional conflicts led China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and several other countries to increase their military budgets. SIPRI identified the five countries with the highest military budgets as the United States, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and India. Among these countries, the United States reduced its military budget by 6.4% last year, while Saudi Arabia increased its arms purchases by 17%. In 2014, Saudi Arabia was the second-largest arms buyer in the world but had the highest increase in military budget among major arms buyers. Saudi Arabia's military budget reached $80.8 billion last year. China's military budget also increased by about 9.7% compared to the previous year, reaching $216 billion. For over three weeks, Saudi Arabia has been leading a regional coalition against Houthi militants in Yemen. According to SIPRI, while global military spending has not changed significantly, military budgets in certain regions, including the Middle East and especially Africa, are rapidly increasing, placing a heavy burden on economies. The Ukraine conflict, according to SIPRI, not only led to increased military budgets for the two involved countries, Russia and Ukraine, but also prompted Eastern European countries to raise their defense spending. Last year, Ukraine's military budget increased by more than 20%, reaching $4 billion, while Russia's military budget also rose by over 8%, reaching $84.5 billion. SIPRI's annual report also noted that military spending in Africa increased by about 6%, with Algeria and Angola standing out above other countries.