Arms Race: Morocco and Algeria Dominate Military Spending in North Africa
In 2024, North Africa witnessed a significant rise in military spending, reaching $30.2 billion — an increase of 8.8% compared to 2023 and 43% compared to 2015. Algeria and Morocco alone accounted for 90% of this total, highlighting escalating regional tensions, especially around the Western Sahara issue.
Boosted by hydrocarbon revenues, Algeria increased its military budget by 12% to reach $21.8 billion, making it the largest military spender in Africa. This amount represented 21% of the Algerian government’s total expenditure.
Meanwhile, Morocco raised its military spending by 2.6% to $5.5 billion after two years of decline. This increase is mainly attributed to higher personnel-related expenses within the Royal Armed Forces.
Across the continent, Africa’s total military spending reached $52.1 billion in 2024 — a 3% increase from the previous year. In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa saw a 3.2% decrease, spending $21.9 billion.
Globally, military expenditure rose to $2,718 billion in 2024, marking a 9.4% increase from 2023 — the highest annual rise since the end of the Cold War. It represented 2.5% of the global GDP.
