World Wide Military Spending

“It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.”
-- Albert Einstein

wolrd military spending

Notes:

The United States and its allies account for roughly 83% of the entire world's total military expenditures.
(Update - the figure is now at 85%.)
Up to 64% (depending on source) of its total GNP is funnelled in to its military operations.
Both of these percentages has been steadily climbing since the second world war, particularly in the last decade.
Not Included in these percentages are military contracts to private corporations below $1M, and vast arms trade in which the U.S. engages.
U.S. military spending at time of writing is roughly $50,000,000 per hour.
Consider: Malaria could be completely eliminated from the world for the cost of a mere few hours worth of this expense. Every person in Africa effected by aids could have pain medication, life extending drugs, and clean clothing for just a few more hours of military indulgence.

Stockhom International Peace Research Institute's Military Expenditure Project [Petter Stålenheim, Catalina Perdomo and Elisabeth Sköns, principle authors
United Nations Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries
US General Accounting Office
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Congressional Research Service
CIA Word Fact Book
US Department of Defense Discretionary Budget Requests
Institute for Peace and Justice
Friends (Quakers) Committee on National Legislation
Federation of American Scientists: Military Analysis Network
United Nations War Crimes Commission
United Nations Human Development Reports
United States Census Bureau
United States Department of Defence Base Structure Report
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (numerous reports)
Médecins Sans Frontières
Democracy Now and Amnesty International: serveral reports on mercinary armies
Arms Control Center reports
many others