Military Expenditures

Military expenditures are sometimes one of the most substantial elements of a nation’s budget. The amount and percentage of the national budget varies with each country, and defense spending has significant implications for the country’s foreign policy. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, in 2015, the United States devoted 9.2% of its government spending on military expenditures, a dollar amount that dwarfs any other nation’s military spending. The Middle Eastern nations of Oman and Saudi Arabia spend 28% and 27%, respectively, of their government budget on the military, whereas others such as Germany, Japan, and Canada spend 2.7%, 2.5%, and 2.4%, respectively. Costa Rica has no armed forces, and its [Page 1100]spending on border guards, paramilitary, and surveillance amounts to a ...