Arms Race in the Maghreb: Algeria and Morocco Turn North Africa Into a Powder Keg

The world has never spent more on armaments. In 2025, the global bill stands at 2,900 billion dollars. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Sipri, North Africa is emerging as the epicenter of continental rearmament. Alone, Maghreb countries account for more than half of the 58.2 billion dollars spent in Africa, far ahead of Nigeria and its 2.1 billion allocated to fighting extremism.

On Bladi.net : North African Arms Race Escalates as Morocco and Algeria Boost Military Spending

Algeria is leading the charge with staggering budgets. Its spending reaches a record 25.4 billion dollars, up 11 percent year-over-year. This genuine security obsession devours a quarter of the state’s spending and 8.83 percent of its gross domestic product. On a global scale, only war-torn Ukraine displays a higher military burden. Fueled by hydrocarbons, this strategy aims to impose regional hegemony, even at the cost of sacrificing a population hit by unemployment, inflation, and water shortages.

Facing its Algerian neighbor, Morocco chooses quality over quantity. With an envelope of 6.3 billion dollars, Rabat spends four times less than its neighbor. The kingdom is betting on "asymmetric modernization": drone purchases, intelligence systems, next-generation fighter jets, and development of a local industry. Backed by solid alliances with the United States, Morocco is firmly establishing itself as the continent’s second military power on a financial level.

On Bladi.net : Algeria’s Military Spending Surges 76% as Morocco’s Declines, SIPRI Report Shows

On the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, the contrast is striking and Spain is reacting massively. Under pressure from NATO requirements, Madrid crosses the threshold of 2 percent of its GDP dedicated to defense for the first time since 1994. Its budget jumps 50 percent to reach 40.2 billion dollars. While Spanish economic power dwarfs that of its neighbors, the country is also directly profiting from this frenzy. Its military equipment exports to Morocco have climbed 40 percent, driven notably by the construction of an imposing ocean patrol vessel deliverable mid-2026.