Governments spending on military - sources and methods

The military expenditure data is produced by SIPRI,which uses as its primary source official data provided by national governments such as national budget documents, defense white papers and public finance statistics published by ministries of finance and of de fence, central banks and national statistical offices, and government responses to questionnaires about military expenditure sent out by SIPRI, the United Nations or the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Definition of military expenditure - where possible, SIPRI military expenditure data include all current and capital expenditure on:

(a) the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces;
(b) de fence ministries and other government agencies engaged in de fence projects;
(c) paramilitary forces, when judged to be trained and equipped for military operations;
(d) military space activities.

Such expenditures should include:
(a) military and civil personnel, including retirement pensions of military personnel and social services for personnel;
(b) operations and maintenance;
(c) procurement;
(d) military research and development;
(e) military aid (in the military expenditure of the donor country).

More detailed information on source and methods adopted by SIPRI.

Located in Sweden, SIPRI offers a unique platform for researchers from different countries to work together on projects. SIPRI cooperates with several international and regional organizations, among them: UN Department for Disarmament Affairs (DDA) and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU).

Worldometers adjusts the data when needed to reflect current prices and current estimated yearly expenditure based on global GDP growth and military spending trends.

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