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Afghan special forces arrive at the airport as they launch a counteroffensive to retake Kunduz from Taliban insurgents
Picture: NASIR WAQIF/AFP/Getty Images
By Ashley Kirk
8:41AM GMT 27 Oct 2015
The United States dominates the world when it comes to defence spending - but how do other countries compare?
The United States' military spending has dominated the world for years, but recent figures show that other nations are beginning to catch up.
While global tensions increase, with anincreasingly complex Syrian conflict at the centre, countries are flexing their military might in a region ravaged by war.
But which countries are the biggest spenders on defence?
The United States dominates global spending on defence, with a budget more than double that of the next biggest spender, China.
It spends around $569bn a year on defence - the majority of which goes on operations, maintenance and personnel.
This has decreased from $587bn in 2014, according to data provided by IHS, which takes into account international exchange rates.
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The world's 25 largest defence budgets
IraqPakistanSingaporeNetherlandsPolandAlgeriaSpainTaiwanUnited Arab EmiratesIsraelTurkeyCanadaItalyBrazilAustraliaSouth KoreaGermanySaudi ArabiaJapanIndiaFranceRussiaUnited KingdomChinaUnited States2015 budget (bn)$0$100$200$300$400$500$600
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While the USA's defence spending is declining, China's is increasing. Its budget stood at $191bn in 2015 - up from $176bn in 2014.
The United Kingdom, Russia and France are the next biggest spenders on defence. All of which are dwarved, however, by America's spending.
As well as the United States, Japan and Brazil had the biggest falls in defence spending between 2014 and 2015.
South Korea, the United Kingdom and China had the largest increases - with China boosting its defence budget by $14.7bn in a year.
Of the 25 largest defences in the world, 13 were Asian - with a total defence spending of $840bn.
Largest increases and decreases in spending 2014-15
ChinaUnited KingdomSouth KoreaBrazilJapanUnited StatesSpending (bn)$0$100$200$300$400$500$60020152014
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There were fewer Western countries in the top 25 - with seven of the top spenders being European and two being North American.
Three other continents were represented in the world's 25 largest defence budgets - Australia from Australasia, Brazil from South America and Algeria from Africa.
There are several different estimations of defence spending from a variety of sources.
The IHS has standardised all budgets into USD. Consequently, Russia's budget is lower due to the depreciation of the rouble against the dollar.
The IHS also said that Saudi Arabia looks lower compared to other sources because the figures do not include security spending, while the USA figure does not include FMF (foreign military financing) allocations.
What are the biggest defence budgets in the world? - Telegraph
