Skyrocketing Military Spending Undermines Development Aid to World’s Poor

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 5 2026 (IPS)

The statistics are staggering: while military spending keeps skyrocketing, Official Development Assistance (ODA)– from the rich to some of the world’s poorer nations– has been declining drastically.

According to a Fact Sheet released by the UN last week, the $2.7 trillion allocated in just one year (2024) to global military spending amounted to $334 for every person on the planet; the size of the entire Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all African countries; more than half the GDP of all Latin American countries; 750 times the 2024 UN regular budget; and almost 13 times the amount of ODA provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2024

Over 100 countries increased their military budgets, with the top ten spenders alone accounting for 73% of the total. Despite making up about a quarter of the UN’s Member States and nearly 20% of the world’s population, African nations collectively account for less than 2% of global military spending.

If the current trend continues, warns UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterre, military spending could increase to $3.5 trillion by 2030 and exceed $4.7 trillion, potentially climbing to $6.6 trillion, by 2035. A $6.6 trillion spending is equivalent to almost five times the level at the end of the cold war, six times the lowest global level (1998), and two and a half times the level spent in 2024 ($2.7 trillion).

James E. Jennings, PhD, President, Conscience International, told IPS while the world was celebrating a Happy New Year January 1, those who have read global military budgets for 2026 can only weep.

The recently released UN fact sheet on worldwide spending for weapons and military expenses reveals a fearful future for humanity in the coming decades. “That’s because of the vast disparity between our lust for power and dominance as opposed to our lack of concern for the growing millions of people living in abject poverty,” he said.

Such conditions, he pointed out, guarantee that children who lack clean water and sanitation will suffer from easily curable diseases and have little access to education. “There is a direct connection between buying airplanes, tanks, and bombs, and taking food out of the mouths of babies. Even a tiny percentage of the money spent annually on arms would alleviate world hunger in just a few years.”

Another way of understanding the issue is the global distribution of wealth, disadvantaging the Global South. Health, especially children’s health, is primary. It could be radically transformed by vaccinations and medicines that are readily available and cheap compared to military equipment and technology.

Education is the top prize that can transform lives and societies but is unavailable to many people in the world’s neediest countries. What is most worrisome to those who are paying attention is the fact that military expenditures are rising. Where that will lead if the trend continues is dreadful to contemplate, declared Dr Jennings.

Meanwhile, the UN Fact Sheet says:

Less than 4% ($93 billion) of $2.7 trillion is needed annually to end world hunger by 2030.

· A little over 10% ($285 billion) of $2.7 trillion could fully vaccinate every child.
· $5 trillion could fund 12 years of quality education of every child in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
· Spending $1 billion on the military creates 11,200 jobs, but the same amount creates 26,700 jobs in education, 17,200 in healthcare or 16,800 in clean energy.
· Reinvesting 15% ($387 billion) of the $2.7 trillion is more than enough to cover the annual costs of climate change adaptation in developing countries.
· Each dollar spent on the military generates over twice the greenhouse gas emissions of a dollar invested in civilian sectors.

The 38-membe OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) points out that ODA is currently on “a significant decline”, with major donor countries like the U.S., France, Germany, and the UK cutting aid budgets, leading to projected drops of 9-17% in 2025 after a 9% fall in 2024, impacting the poorest nations and vital services like health.

This marks a sharp reversal after years of growth, driven by domestic spending (like refugee costs) and shifting priorities.

Alice Slater, who serves on the Boards of World BEYOND War and the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and a UN NGO Representative for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, told IPS the UN’s Fact Sheet, starkly illuminating last year’s record high of $2.7 trillion in military expenditures, caused a cascade of devastating consequences to human well-being, the environment, possibilities for avoiding climate collapse, as well as blows to employment, ending hunger and poverty, providing health care, education, and other ills, due to a lack of adequate funding support.

The Fact Sheet, she said, does an admirable job of illustrating the shocking maldistribution of States massive military expenditures and what that money could buy in many instances, such as to end hunger and malnutrition, provide clean water and sanitation, education, environmental remediation, and so much more.

In a message to world leaders last week, Guterres said: ·“As we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads. Chaos and uncertainty surround us. People everywhere are asking: Are leaders even listening? Are they ready to act?”

Today, the scale of human suffering is staggering – over one-quarter of humanity lives in areas affected by conflict. More than 200 million people globally need humanitarian assistance, and nearly 120 million people have been forcibly displaced, fleeing war, crises, disasters or persecution.

“As we turn the page on a turbulent year, one fact speaks louder than words: global military spending has soared to $2.7 trillion, growing by almost 10 per cent.”

Yet, as humanitarian crises around the world intensify, global military spending is projected to more than double – from $2.7 trillion in 2024 to an astonishing $6.6 trillion by 2035 – if current trends persist. Data shows that $2.7 trillion is thirteen times the amount of all global development aid combined and is equivalent to the entire Gross Domestic Product of the continent of Africa.

“On this New Year, let’s resolve to get our priorities straight. A safer world begins by investing more in fighting poverty and less in fighting wars. Peace must prevail,” urged Guterres.

In September 2025, the Secretary-General, as requested by UN Member States in the 2024 Pact for the Future, launched a report that revealed a stark imbalance in global spending. Called The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future, the report examines the difficult trade-offs presented by the increasing global military spending, making a powerful case for investing in peace and in people’s futures:

“It’s clear the world has the resources to lift lives, heal the planet, and secure a future of peace and justice,” says Guterres. “In 2026, I call on leaders everywhere: Get serious. Choose people and planet over pain.”

“This New Year, let’s rise together: For justice. For humanity. For peace.”

IPS UN Bureau Report