US Spends More on War Than Next 7 Nations Combined

China is a distant 2nd
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 2, 2018 8:09 AM CDT
US Spends More on War Than Next 7 Nations Combined
In this April 4, 2018, file photo, a US soldier sits on an armored vehicle in Manbij, north Syria.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

A "near-constant state of war" is just one of the reasons the US spends more than any other country in the world on its military—by a long shot. If the next seven major military spenders combined their funds, they still wouldn't measure up, according to a list compiled by 24/7 Wall St., though China is making strides. The 10 countries that spent the most on war in 2017:

  1. USA: $610 billion (3.1% of GDP)
  2. China: $228 billion (1.9%)
  3. Saudi Arabia: $69.4 billion (10%)
  4. Russia: $66.3 billion (4.3%)
  5. India: $63.9 billion (2.5%)

  1. France: $57.8 billion (2.3% of GDP)
  2. United Kingdom: $47.2 billion (1.8%)
  3. Japan: $45.4 billion (0.9%)
  4. Germany: $44.3 billion (1.2%)
  5. South Korea: $39.2 billion (2.6%)

Click for the full list or see the world's happiest countries. (More war stories.)

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