Domain trends

摘要

1. Global defence spending picked up by 1.8% in real terms between 2017 and 2018. The rise in 2018 was driven by the United States, which increased its defence budget by 5% in real terms between 2017 and 2018. The US thereby accounted for 45% of global defence-spending increases in 2018. 2. As a result of this increase, global military expenditure has bounced back from its low point in 2014, when lower energy prices led oil and gas exporters in particular to curb their defence outlays. There is still a serious lack of transparency over military expenditures in the Middle East and North Africa.3. There is no assessment available for conflict-afflicted countries (Libya, Syria, Yemen) or particularly opaque states (Qatar, UAE), while data is unreliable for other countries in the region (Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia) because of lack of detailed publicly released information and likely off-budget funding.