The most militarized country: Ukraine or Israel?

Study - The most militarized country: Ukraine or Israel?

In the year following the Russian attack, Ukraine has become the most militarized country in the world, according to a study, replacing long-time leader Israel in first place in the Global Militarization Index (GMI). This is according to the GMI 2023, published by the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC).

The GMI compares the military apparatus and civil society of a country. To do this, BICC weights, for example, a country's military expenditure and number of soldiers and heavy weapons in relation to its gross domestic product (GDP) and other civilian indicators.

The GMI incorporates the latest available data - for the current survey, this is mostly from 2022, so the Gaza war is not yet reflected in it. Israel has consistently been at the top of the annual index since 2007.

Increased military expenditure in Europe

Overall, the number of heavy weapons and armaments has increased worldwide, according to the study. However, the level of militarization has fallen on average because the population or GDP of many countries has grown. Military expenditure in Western and Central Europe rose by 13 percent in 2022. According to the study, this is the largest increase since the end of the Cold War.

Ukraine and Israel are followed in the GMI's "Top 10" by three other post-Soviet states: Armenia (3rd place), Azerbaijan (9th place) and Russia (10th place). This points to the high potential for conflict and the changing power and alliance constellations in this region, said study author Markus Bayer.

Russia has significantly increased its military expenditure from 66 to almost 72 billion US dollars, the study continued. The bottom line, however, is a low level of militarization due to the "massive losses of people and material".

Germany further down the list

The "Top 10" also includes three Gulf states: Qatar (4th place), Bahrain (5th place) and Saudi Arabia (6th place). In relation to civilian society, Greece (7th place) and Singapore (8th place) are also highly militarized. Germany ranks 98th out of 149 countries as a "weakly" militarized country, followed by only two EU states, Luxembourg and Ireland. The USA ranks 25th.

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1. Despite Ukraine surpassing Israel as the most militarized country in the 2023 Global Militarization Index (GMI), Israel has held the top spot since 2007.
2. The Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC) publishes the GMI, which compares a country's military apparatus and civil society by considering factors like military expenditure and number of soldiers and heavy weapons in relation to GDP and other civilian indicators.
3. According to the GMI, Russia has significantly increased its military expenditure from 66 to almost 72 billion US dollars, but this has resulted in a low level of militarization due to "massive losses of people and material."
4. The three Gulf states Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia occupy the 4th, 5th, and 6th positions, respectively, in the GMI's "Top 10," while Greece and Singapore rank 7th and 8th due to their high militarization in relation to civilian society.
5. Ukraine, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia make up the top 5 in the GMI, highlighting the high potential for conflict and shifting power dynamics in the region, as stated by study author Markus Bayer.
6. The study also revealed an 13% increase in military expenditure in Western and Central Europe, marking the largest increase since the end of the Cold War.
7. The list of less militarized countries includes Germany, ranking 98th, two EU states Luxembourg and Ireland behind it, emphasizing the moderately militarized nature of these nations compared to the highly militarized regions mentioned in the report.

Source: www.stern.de