New Delhi: With an expenditure of $71.1 billion in 2019, India has emerged as the third largest military spender in the world, just behind the US and China.
In a report published Monday, Swedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said India’s expenditure grew by 6.8 per cent from 2018 and the country climbed up the rankings from its earlier fourth spot.
Titled Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019, the annual report said India’s tensions and rivalry with Pakistan and China were among the major drivers for its increased military spending.
China, which is second on the list with an expense of $261 billion, saw a 5.1 per cent rise in its defence spending.
This is the first time that the two Asian states have featured among the top three military spenders.
India’s expense rise
India’s military expenses have risen significantly over the past few decades. Over the 30-year period between 1990 and 2019, its spending grew by 259 per cent. In 2010-19 decade, the expenses grew by 37 per cent, the report said.
However, the country’s military burden fell from 2.7 per cent of the Indian GDP in 2010 to 2.4 per cent in 2019.
Its rival Pakistan’s military expenditure rose by 70 per cent over the decade to reach $10.3 billion, with the burden rising from 3.4 per cent of GDP in 2010 to 4 per cent in 2019.
Also read: After pandemic, Europe and China are set for a damaging diplomatic rift
World expenses
According to the report, total global military expenditure rose to $1,917 billion dollars in 2019 – a 3.6 per cent rise over 2018 and the largest annual growth since 2010, said the SIPRI report.
The US’ military spending grew by 5.3 per cent to a total of $732 billion, accounting for 38 per cent of the global spend.
The increase in US spending in just 2019 was equivalent to the entirety of Germany’s military expense for the year.
“The recent growth in US military spending is largely based on a perceived return to competition between the great powers,” Pieter D. Wezeman, senior researcher at SIPRI, said in the report.
Russia and Saudi Arabia rounded off the top five largest spenders, all of whom accounted for 62 per cent of the global expenditure.
Also read: The one job that will disappear by 2062 — the job of fighting wars
India has a chance to buy F-15EX and/or F-16V/21. Modi gov. need to buy these planes. Remember F-15 has never lost a dog fight – It is 104 to 0.
It is interesting to see that Pak (10.1) billion $ paying more dividends than Ind(71.1) billion $. The credit goes to Pakistan that even paying 7 times less than India, Pakistan often put India own knees. One recent example is the debacle of India’s heroism in the form of Pakistani capturing of an Indian pilot.
I’m pretty sure that you are not a Robert.
Secondly, I’m also sure that you are unaware of the fact that during the same dogfight, the Pakistani piloting an F/A-18 who was brought down by Wing commander Abhinandan, was lynched by the Pakistanis unknowingly or I believe they were not able to read and understand the markings of their own air force after he ejected and landed within Pakistan.
I could go on but I suggest you do not talk numbers and focus 7 times more on reading and writing.
You’re an ignorant. It was Indian pilot’s own mistake that he landed on pakistani land. Btw, India entered into pakistan and killed pakistani militants lol. And after indian pm threatened pakistan, he had to safely give back Abhinandan to India