Most Accurate List of Military Spending by Country

Some countries want to maximize the appearance of military spending while others want to minimize it. For example, France reports that it spends over $70 billion on defense because it includes defense from its own people (policing) while the United States includes only defense from external sources in its definition of defense.

When we apply the same definition of military spending for all countries, the United States spends more than all other nations combined. The definition used in the graphic does not include "emergency supplemental appropriations" for invasions and occupation of other countries, retired military benefits, interest on past military debt or the military portions of NASA, homeland security or the state department. When these types of expenses are added to the budget of each country, the ratio of United States military spending as compared with the rest of the world approaches two to one.