TOKYO — Milit spending in East Asia jumped 7.8% on the year to $433 billion in 2024, a new report shows, as countries continued to enhance war-fighting capabilities amid heightening tensions in the region.
The annual increase was the largest since 2009, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). East Asia accounted for 69% of the $629 billion spent across Asia and Oceania as a whole.