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Despite the global increase in military spending, only a minority of states are following an armament trend. In only 52 of the 149 countries covered by the GMI has the volume of military expenditure, personnel and weapons increased relative to civilian benchmarks in recent years. And yet, there are a number of countries where relative investment in the armed forces has barely changed or even declined recently. 81 countries stand out for their demilitarisation.

Looking regionally, it is striking that Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are the two most militarised regions. Countries in South America and Sub-Saharan Africa, however, tend to invest significantly less in their armed forces, also relative to their economic output and population.

Ukraine is one of the most militarised countries in the world and is by far the highest ranked country in the GMI. Other highly militarised countries include Israel, Lebanon, Armenia, Qatar, Russia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Greece. These countries allocate particularly high levels of resources to the armed forces in comparison to other areas of society. Not surprisingly, this is particularly the case where military conflicts are taking place or have recently taken place.

The countries bringing up the rear of the GMI are Haiti, Malta, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Ireland, Ghana and Madagascar. Ireland’s low level of militarisation shows that a relatively high level of internal stability and security can be achieved with low levels of investment in the military sector. Other countries, such as Haiti and Papua New Guinea, struggle to effectively enforce the authority of the state throughout their territory.