The United States spends 58 percent of the total defense dollars paid out by the world’s top 10 military powers, which combined for $1.19 trillion in military funding in 2011. With its unparalleled global reach, the US outspends China, the next-biggest military power, by nearly 6-to-1. Click on today’s infographic to see which nations round out the top 10 – and in the "What Do Others Say?" section below, explore more about the costs and benefits of superpower status.
In dollars for defense, we’re still #1 with a bullet [INFOGRAPHIC]
Released Aug. 6, 2012The U.S. is the biggest military spender in the world – hundreds of billions ahead of #2 China
![In dollars for defense, we’re still #1 with a bullet [INFOGRAPHIC]](/static/media/facts/facts/infographics/FTFin-MilitarySpending.jpg)
What do others say?
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: Rand Corporation: “Where might the US Army budget go, and how might it get there? More
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: Huffington Post: “Two bullets per person: The trillion dollar military spending club” More
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: Brookings Institution podcast: “The future of the security industrial base” More
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