Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: Annual Global Military Expenditure, Nuclear Arsenals, and Armed Conflicts Overview

Key Chapter Title List

1. Human Security and the Nuclear Challenge
2. Conflict Management
3. Military Expenditure
4. Arms Production and Military Services
5. International Arms Transfers
6. World Nuclear Forces
7. Missile and Armed UAV Proliferation and Use
8. Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control, Non-proliferation and Security
9. Chemical Weapons and Security Threats
10. Biological Weapons and Security Threats
11. Conventional Arms Control and Inhumane Weapons Regulation
12. Artificial Intelligence and International Peace and Security

Document Introduction

This report summary originates from the "SIPRI Yearbook 2025" published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which is one of the most authoritative independent annual assessments in the fields of international security, armaments, and disarmament. The report systematically outlines the key indicators of the continued deterioration of the global security environment in 2024, including the evolution of major armed conflicts, the tenth consecutive year of growth in global military spending, and concerning new trends in the nuclear weapons domain. The research is based on SIPRI's unique open-source data collection and analysis system, covering multiple dimensions such as military expenditure, arms production and trade, nuclear arsenals, armed conflict casualties, and multilateral arms control mechanisms. It provides policymakers, researchers, and professional readers with evidence-based, in-depth insights.

The first part of the report focuses on the panorama of international security and armed conflicts in 2024. Global conflict-related deaths rose to their highest point since 2018, reaching 239,000, with Europe experiencing the largest increase in fatalities due to the intensification of the Russia-Ukraine war. The report identifies five major armed conflicts (with over 10,000 deaths) and analyzes conflict dynamics in regions such as the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. Although peace processes made progress in a few border disputes, peace efforts related to ongoing conflicts generally stalled. The report particularly notes that the absence of strategic dialogue among major powers, especially the near-collapse of the US-Russia bilateral nuclear arms control mechanism, coupled with the policy uncertainty brought by the return of the US Trump administration to the White House, collectively constitute a severe challenge to global strategic stability.

The second part delves into an analysis of global military expenditure and arms development. In 2024, global military spending climbed to a historic high of $2.7 trillion, with the global military burden (military spending as a percentage of GDP) reaching 2.5%. Europe saw the most significant increase in military spending (+83%, 2015-2024), with many NATO countries meeting or exceeding the 2% of GDP spending target. The United States maintained absolute dominance with spending of $997 billion, which is 3.2 times that of the second-largest spender, China. In the arms industry, the arms revenues of the SIPRI Top 100 companies increased to $632 billion in 2023, with US companies holding a dominant position. The volume of international major arms transfers remained relatively stable during the 2020-2024 period, but regional differences were significant, with transfers to Europe surging by 155%, making Ukraine the world's largest arms importer.

The third part systematically assesses progress and challenges in the fields of non-proliferation, arms control, and disarmament. Although the total global nuclear arsenal continued to decline due to the US and Russia dismantling retired warheads, all nine nuclear-armed states are strengthening their nuclear arsenals, indicating the formation of a "qualitative" nuclear arms race. China's nuclear arsenal is estimated to have grown to 600 warheads, while the US and Russia continue to advance comprehensive nuclear modernization programs. In the conventional domain, cluster munitions were widely used in Ukraine, and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas caused severe humanitarian consequences. The report also explores the impact of emerging challenges—such as the military application of artificial intelligence, evolving cyber and digital threats, and outer space security governance—on international peace and security. Although the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions remain important legal frameworks, geopolitical tensions have severely affected the operation of relevant institutions and compliance reviews.

Overall, this report reveals a critical turning point: the rules-based international arms control system is under immense pressure, while great power competition, regional conflicts, and technological proliferation jointly drive the global militarization process. The report emphasizes that in the absence of great power consensus, cooperation among small and medium-sized states through issue-specific coalitions has become a form of "new realism." The series of databases provided by SIPRI (military expenditure, arms trade, arms embargoes, etc.) have laid a solid empirical foundation for this analysis, making it an indispensable professional reference for understanding the complexity of current international security and future risks.