Re-upping this. Because it’s interesting. - ThreadSky

duncanweldon.bsky.social • 5 days ago

Re-upping this.
Because it’s interesting.

Defence spending per head (current US$, 2023, SIPRI numbers):
USA: $2,694.2
UK: $1,106.4
France: $946.6
Germany:$802.3
Italy:$603.5
Canada: $701.9
Russia: $757.8
China: $207.9

www.sipri.org/databases/mi...

Comments

domw.bsky.social•5 days ago

In a way, it kind of illustrates the problem with defining exactly what ‘defence spending’ means.

jamesoflynn.bsky.social•5 days ago

Yeah. That. Didn't we gerrymander what we count as defence spending some time around 2015 to include a load of stuff that wasn't really defence spending just cos it helped hit 2% of GDP?

groda.eu•5 days ago

More or less as one would expect. Russia is poor. This is widely known.

groda.eu•5 days ago

And as I like to point out at PPP the Russian numbers will be even lower since a lot of it has to go to buy houses in Chelsea

loungeiguana.bsky.social•5 days ago

They usually obscure this but writing as %GDP

missblank01.bsky.social•5 days ago

It is very interesting, am not entirely sure what to conclude from this but it is defo interesting👍

mrtpsm.bsky.social•5 days ago

Actually…a big difference in the US could be attributed in part to employer-based health care being counted against the per-capita number as opposed to say, the NHS.

spignal.bsky.social•5 days ago

At PPP it looks rather different: Russia is outspending the whole EU, despite a smaller pop.

(My assumption is that whether you use current $ or PPP depends on what you're analysing. Paying troops to send as cannon fodder to Ukraine: PPP. Buying F-35 and Patriots from American suppliers: current.)

mikerobson.bsky.social•5 days ago

Wouldn’t you expect that from a country directly executing a v significant war?

phillyrothers.bsky.social•5 days ago

PPP?

spignal.bsky.social•5 days ago

Adjusted for purchasing power. So eg: $2000 buys you 1 month of American soldiering, vs 6 months of Russian soldiering. The Russian budget may look small in USD terms, but stretches a long way. PPP adjusts this accordingly

phillyrothers.bsky.social•5 days ago

That's most helpful, thanks.

johnderek.bsky.social•5 days ago

Russia outspending UK plus Europe in PPP terms

https://www.politico.eu/article/russian-defense-spending-overtakes-europe-study-finds/

duncanweldon.bsky.social•5 days ago

Completely agree.
What I find interesting is the US - Europe gap.

mikerobson.bsky.social•5 days ago

What’s the gap in PPP terms?

cymrufod.bsky.social•5 days ago

An underrated factor is just how bad Germany has been for a very long time in terms of getting (literal) bang for their buck.

I wonder if this is partly due to the Right not wanting to criticise the arms industry, and the Left don't really want an effective military, so no impetus for improvement.

huettemann.eu•5 days ago

What are the EU27 numbers per capita? #EUsky

duncanweldon.bsky.social•5 days ago

Link to the database in the post.

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