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First plague, then war.

“Regardless of which measure you consult, the past year has seen a sharp increase in global #spending on #defence. Budgets totalled $2.7trn in 2024—up by 9.4% from 2023, the biggest jump since at least 1988.

#Military outlays now account for 2.5% of countries’ gdp on average, and 7.1% of government budgets. But the increase is even steeper when adjusted for purchasing power (see chart 1). With help from #PeterRobertson of the #UniversityofWesternAustralia, we estimate that global #defence #spending rose by 10% in real terms.”

What got me to read the article? The notation, “$bn, log scale” graph. #Graphs shown in log #scale.

Meaning the economist pitch to readership is high in statistical education OR it’s from an Academic source.

<https://archive.md/I8SBL> / <https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/05/16/how-do-countries-rank-by-military-spending> (paywall)