Global military spending in 2023 is mind-boggling.

Every year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute releases a statistical report on global military expenditure, which has become an important reference indicator of the global situation.

A report on global military spending released on April 22, 2023, showed that global military spending increased by nearly 7% compared to the previous year, reaching $2.44 trillion, the highest recorded in 15 years since 2009.

This indicates that 2023 is the most unstable year in the world, and arguably the most dangerous year for military conflict.

After all, events such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Gaza War occurred in 2023, although these are local conflicts, but their global impact is increasingly significant.

That is why the data in this latest report on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Gaza war are particularly important.

First, Saudi Arabia is the fifth-largest military spender in the world.

According to an analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have pushed up global military spending in 2023, with significant increases in military spending by Middle Eastern countries.

Saudi Arabia, for example, spent $75.8 billion on its military last year, or 7.1 percent of the country's GDP. This makes Saudi Arabia the largest military spender in the Middle East.

Israel, embroiled in the Gaza war, ranks 15th in the world in military spending at $27.5 billion, a third of what Saudi Arabia spends.

Such huge Saudi military spending is clearly not aimed at Israel, but at Iran.

Second, Ukraine ranks eighth in military spending.

Ukraine ranked 11th in the world in terms of military spending in 2022, up from eighth in the latest ranking, and the country's military spending has already reached $64.8 billion, a 51 percent increase from 2022 and 12 times more than when Russia occupied Crimea in 2014.

This reflects the increasingly intensified trend of the war in Ukraine.

If the war between Russia and Ukraine continues until the end of the year, it is expected that Ukraine's ranking will rise in the global military expenditure statistics report next year.

It is likely to overtake Germany, which currently ranks seventh and spends $66 billion on its military.

Third, Russia's military spending is at a 30-year high.

According to Swedish statistics, Russia's military spending in 2023 is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States, reaching $109 billion. That spending is up 24 percent from 2022.

In 2023, Russia spent 5.9 percent of GDP and 16 percent of all public spending on military spending, the highest level since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

However, the report also said that because it is difficult to fully understand the transparency of the Russian economy and military spending, this data may not fully reflect the full picture of Russian military spending, such as in addition to the official military budget, companies, individuals and organizations may also provide unofficial support to the Russian military.