GlobalData has forecast that individual land, air and maritime platform expenditure is to increase by 26%, 18% and 33%, respectively.

Looking at individual defence platform spending, GlobalData predicts Japan will see the biggest increase in land platform spending from 2021 to 2025. The country is set to see a 387.8% increase in land platform expenditure. The amount spent on land military vehicles, such as armoured engineering vehicles or tactical trucks, is set to increase by 37.2%

This is in line with Japan’s record increase in overall defence spending. The country recently approved a 1.1% increase in overall defence spending. The $47.18bn approved for 2022 will be the highest amount spent on defence and contributes towards a 10-year annual increase in defence spending.

This is said to be in response to the rapid military expansion of China, which reported overall defence spending of $252bn, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In, 2020 Japan’s military spending was only 19% of China’s.

Ethiopia is set to see a 3,140.7% increase in the amount spent on airborne platforms. Belgium is also predicted to see to a significant increase of 752.7%. Ethiopia is set to spend big on fixed winged aircraft, such as bombers or reconnaissance aircraft, with a 548.1% increase in spending.

The huge forecasts for Ethiopia’s overall and airborne defence platform forecast can possibly be explained by the ongoing and extensive civil war that began in the country’s Tigray region in 2020. At current, there seems to be no end in sight for the conflict.

Looking at at naval platforms, Chile is set to see the biggest increase in naval platform spending at 608.8%.

Figures from SIPRI reveal that the world’s governments spent almost $2tn on defence in 2020.

In 2020, the US spent the largest amount of money on defence at $778.2bn, accounting for 3.7% of its GDP. Large economies like China, India, Russia and the UK unsurprisingly also spent significant amounts on their militaries. Combined, these countries account for 62% of world’s military expenditure.

Oman spent the largest proportion of its GDP on defence at 11%. Few countries spend more than 5% of their GDP on the military. Most of the countries that spend above this level are in the Middle Eastern. This is a reflection of the ever-persistent conflicts afflicting the region, such as Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen that has been ongoing since 2015.

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