This chart is from The Economist, and it is interesting to see who is on list and who is not. I was surprised to see such high spending from northern Europe.
This chart is from The Economist, and it is interesting to see who is on list and who is not. I was surprised to see such high spending from northern Europe.
Why do you think this is (that N. Europe has high defense spending per capita)? Is it perhaps because of their small populations, so basic spending is spread between fewer people? Or is it a remnant of the Cold War in some way?
ReplyDeleteJust a guess, but maybe there has been pressure/opportunity from NATO to buy really expensive air power -- and the ability to pay for it.
ReplyDeleteThe recent completion of the Eurofighter programme, forcing its participants to actually buy the beasts in multiple, probably has something to do with it, yes, but Norway, very high on the list, didn't do so. I wonder if, in Norway's case, it's more that their population is very small compared to the armed forces they maintain?
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