Change in military expenditure, 1988-2016

SIPRI data on military spending form something of a benchmark, but this think tank has to calculate estimates for countries with little transparency (China especially, but also Russia, Israel and Pakistan). The logarithmic curves show how military spending evolved between 1988 and 2016: expenditure by “early industrialized” countries stagnated, or even decreased, while still maintaining high levels (especially the United States); while that of Southern states grew, sometimes considerably (China x 11 in 28 years, India, and Saudi Arabia). Russia is a case apart: after the 1991 collapse, spending has not regained the supposed level of the 1980s, despite strong and constant growth.