While the Middle East is a region torn apart by conflict, it certainly doesn't have wealthy nations that can afford much military spending — with one exception.
In 2014 Saudi Arabia boosted its military spending by a whopping 17 percent, the largest jump out of all the top countries listed, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. That makes the kingdom the fourth-biggest spender on its military — the Gulf state follows the US, China and Russia.
In total the world spent $1.8 trillion on military in 2014. Here's what it looks like, with the US still spending more than a third of the whole:
Since 2005, Saudi Arabia's spending rose by 112 percent. The SIPRI said the kingdom's expenditures were partly because of the regional conflict, though we can see from this chart that not all wealthy nations spent so much on wars.
Oman, the UAE and Yemen all saw significant decreases. The Middle East as a region increased spending by 5.2 percent, with Iraq and Lebanon both seeing major boosts.
We may see a change in the kingdom's spending after 2015, when Saudi Arabia might not be able to keep up its cash flow due to low oil prices. But for now, the SIPRI said the Gulf state can safely rely on its financial reserves, knowing it can afford to keep up those military investments.
By Hayat Norimine
