World military spending rose 1 percent in 2015, the first annual increase in four years, a Stockholm think tank said Tuesday as it estimated 10 percent of this could cover the costs of global goals aiming to end poverty and hunger in 15 years.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said military expenditure nudged up to almost $1.7 trillion last year, with the United States accounting for by far the greatest amount despite its spending dipping 2.4 percent to $596 billion.
China was the second largest spender for the second year in a row with spending up 7.4 percent to $215 billion, while Saudi Arabia passed Russia to take third place and Britain came fifth. Japan was the eighth biggest spender.