Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2016

World military expenditure is estimated to have been $1686 billion in 2016, equivalent to 2.2 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) or $227 per person. The 2016 estimate is a marginal increase of about 0.4 per cent in real terms on 2015. After 13 consecutive years of increases (from 1998 to 2011), world military spending has continued to plateau—with only minor decreases between 2011 and 2014 (an average of 0.7 per cent per annum) and slight increases in 2015 and 2016.

From 24 April 2017 the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database includes newly released information on military expenditure in 2016. This Fact Sheet describes the global, regional and national trends in military expenditure that are revealed by the new data.