Morocco’s military spending to reach $5.2 billion in 2023 – Morocco Today

According to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) just released, Morocco’s military spending will drop by 2.5 percent in 2023 to $5.2 billion.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) released its report on global military spending on Monday, April 22. They increased for the ninth consecutive year, reaching a total of $2.443 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8%. According to the Institute, this is the largest annual increase since 2009. As for Morocco, military spending has decreased for the second year in a row. Thus, they fell by 2.5% in 2023 to 5.2 billion dollars. In contrast, Algeria’s military spending increased by 76% to $18.3 billion. This is the highest level of consumption ever recorded in Algeria. According to the Institute, this increase was contributed by a sharp increase in income from gas exports to European countries, as the latter moved away from Russian supplies. Sipri notes in his report that the military spending of North African countries in 2023 amounted to 28.5 billion dollars. They increased by 38 percent compared to 2022 and 41 percent compared to 2014.
Note that Morocco and Algeria alone account for 82% of North Africa’s military spending. On the African continent, spending in 2023 was $51.6 billion, an increase of 22% compared to 2023. Globally, the United States remains the largest spender. In 2023, US military spending increased by 2.3% to $916 billion, representing 68% of NATO’s total military spending. China, the second largest spender, has earmarked about $296 billion for military spending in 2023, a 6% increase from 2022. This is the 29th consecutive year-over-year increase. China’s spending accounts for half of the total military spending of the Asia and Oceania region. As for Russia, the report states that its military spending will increase by 24% to approximately $109 billion in 2023, a 57% increase from 2014. In 2023, Russia’s military spending will be 16 % of total state spending and its military burden (spending as a percentage of gross domestic product, GDP) was 5.9%. In 2023, Ukraine was the eighth largest country in terms of spending, after spending increased by 51% to $64.8 billion. Separately, estimated military spending in the Middle East grew by 9% to reach $200 billion in 2023. This is the region’s highest annual growth rate in the past decade.
Israel’s military spending – the second largest in the region after Saudi Arabia – will increase by 24% to $27.5 billion in 2023. The increase in spending was mainly due to Israel’s major offensive in Gaza in response to the October 2023 attack by Hamas in southern Israel.