Algeria’s Military Spending Surges 76% as Morocco’s Declines, SIPRI Report Shows

The latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) entitled "Global Military Spending for 2023" reveals that Morocco’s military spending decreased by 2.5% in 2023, reaching $5.2 billion, which represents 3.64% of its GDP. Conversely, Algeria’s military spending increased by 76% to reach $18.3 billion, the highest spending level ever recorded by the neighbor and the largest annual increase in its spending since 1974. This increase is explained by "a sharp rise in revenue from gas exports to European countries". However, "Algeria and Morocco are by far the biggest spenders in the sub-region (North Africa), accounting for 82% of North African military spending in 2023," the document states.

At the continental level, military spending in Africa reached $51.6 billion in 2023, an increase of 22% compared to 2022. In detail, North African countries spent $28.5 billion on military equipment last year, an increase of 38% compared to 2022. As for the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, they spent $23.1 billion on armaments in 2023, an increase of 8.9% compared to 2022, but 22% less than in 2014. The increase recorded in 2023 is explained by the 20% increase in spending by Nigeria - the largest military spender in the sub-region - and the notable increases in spending by several other countries, including the DRC and South Sudan, the report notes.

The United States, China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia remain the world’s largest military spenders. They accounted for 61% of global military spending in 2023. Global military spending reached $2,400 billion in 2023, its highest increase in a decade, due to ongoing conflicts. "This reflects the deterioration of the global peace and security situation. There is really no region where the situation is improving," commented Nan Tian, a SIPRI researcher.