The burden of military expenditures varies greatly from country to country. In absolute terms, military spending is concentrated in a small number of nations. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US (39%) and China (13%) account for just over half of the $2.24 Trillion the world spent on defense in 2022. Another 26% is spent by the richest and most populous countries – all of which are members of the G20 group of large economies.
Size and wealth aren’t the only drivers of large defense outlays. Countries at war or those located in dangerous neighborhoods are also big spenders. Ukraine (2%) and Israel (1%) round out the list of top 15 military spenders.
Other Measures
Smaller countries may not spend the most in absolute terms, but they are often leaders in relative terms. Using SIPRI’s data, seven of the highest spenders as a percentage of GDP are in the greater Middle Eastern region and two are in Africa. Not surprisingly both Ukraine and Israel make this list, too. Israel is #10 at 4.5% of GDP, while Ukraine leads the world with an astonishing 34% of its GDP dedicated to defense.
The Other Side of Things
Depending on how you define one, there are between 195 and 207 countries in the world. Twenty-one of them have no formal military and hence no budget. Most of them are small or micro-sized states that rely on others for their defense. In some cases, their national police forces have special paramilitary units. The coastal and island nations may have a small coast guard. However, these forces focus primarily on law enforcement and safety.
Regional Security System
The following countries maintain a small police and coast guard for internal security but have no standing military or defense spending. They rely on the Regional Security System and the US for defense.
Dominica, 290 sq mi & 71,000 residents.
Grenada 135 sq mi & 125,000 residents. Its military was disbanded after the 1983 US-led invasion.
Saint Lucia 238 sq mi & 180,000 residents.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 150 sq mi & 110,000 residents.
Pacific Island Nations responsible for internal security that rely on the US for defense
Marshall Islands consists of 42,000 residents on 34 islands and atolls in the Central Pacific.
Federated States of Micronesia houses a population of 105,000 spread over more than 600 small islands in the Western Pacific.
Palau has 17,600 residents on 340 islands in the Western Pacific.
Other Pacific Nations with police and maritime forces that rely on other nations for defense
Nauru, the smallest republic (8.1 sq mi) with the second smallest population (10,800) relies on Australia.
Samoa (1,093 sq mi and 206,000 residents) has a 1962 Treaty of Friendship with New Zealand for defense.
Kiribati (119,000 residents of Banaba and 32 atolls) relies on New Zealand and Australia for defense assistance.
Soloman Islands (700,000, 11,197 mi2) maintains a police and maritime force. A force of neighboring countries (Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands RAMSI) provided defense until June 2017.
Tuvalu (10 sq mi, 10,600 residents) maintains a small police and maritime force and has no defense guarantees from other nations.
European Microstates
Liechtenstein abolished its standing army in 1868. The 39,600 residents of the 62 sq mi country rely on Austria and Switzerland for wartime defense.
Andora a small (181 sq mi) country of 79,000 has a paramilitary police unit specializing in counterterrorism but relies on France and Spain for defense.
Vatican City (0.19 sq mi, 764 residents) is home to the leader of the Catholic church. The Pontifical Swiss Guard is responsible for the pope’s protection. To maintain neutrality, it has no formal military treaties, but informally, Italy protects it.
Monaco (0.8 sq mi, 38,682 residents of which 9,486 are citizens) renounced its military in the 17th century. It does maintain two units, but their primary responsibilities are fighting fires and civil defense. France provides military defense.
Larger Non-militarized Nations
Costa Rica (19,710 sq mi, 5,044,000 residents) constitutionally banned a standing army in 1949. The country maintains a strong police force which includes limited military capabilities.
Iceland (39,817 sq mi, 387,000 residents) has not had a standing military since 1869. The country is a member of NATO and maintains a highly capable coast guard and air defense service. The US removed forces from the island in 2006 but continues to provide for Iceland’s defense.
Mauritius (790 sq mi, 1,265,475 residents) has never had a standing military but does maintain a security force that includes 8,000 police, 1,500 special forces, and a 500-member coast guard.
Panama (29,119 sq mi, 4,337,768 residents) abolished its army after the US invasion of 1989. It now maintains national police, border, and aeronaval services which have some military capabilities.
Vanuatu (4,706 sq mi, 336,000 residents) maintains a paramilitary police force of 300 and has no external defense guarantees.
That brings us to our map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
In addition to being small and in many cases remote, these non-military countries contain ~13.22 million residents or ~0.165% of the human population.
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
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