The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that Moroccan military spending decreased for the second year, while neighboring Algeria continues its arms race, with the highest annual increase since 1974.
The same institute stated in a report issued Monday that Moroccan military spending in 2023 decreased by 2.5 percent to 5.2 billion dollars, indicating in return that Algerian military spending increased by 76 percent to reach 18.3 billion dollars.
The institute said: “This was the highest level of spending Algeria had ever recorded and the largest annual percentage increase in its spending since 1974.”
According to the report, Algeria and Morocco are considered the largest military spenders in the North African region. Together, they accounted for 82 percent of military spending in the region in 2023.
Military spending in North Africa reached $28.5 billion in 2023, an estimated 38 percent increase from 2022 and 41 percent from 2014.
According to the same document, total military spending in Africa reached $51.6 billion in 2023, a rate of 22 percent higher than in 2022, and 1.5 percent higher than in 2014.
Military spending in sub-Saharan Africa also reached $23.1 billion, which is 8.9 percent higher than in 2022, but 22 percent lower than in 2014.
Globally, military spending witnessed its largest increase in more than a decade in 2023 and reached its highest level ever at $2.4 trillion, “due to wars and increasing tensions in various parts of the world,” according to the same report.
Global military spending rose by 6.8 percent in 2023, representing “the largest annual increase since 2009.”
The United States, China, Russia, India, and Saudi Arabia ranked in the top five in terms of military spending.
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