Billions for security – How much world leaders spend on defence: A clear trend

Authoritarian states traditionally allocate more of their budgets to the military than democratic states. This is because the leaders of these states are more concerned with their own protection, and they may decide not to spend money on the welfare of their own citizens.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and The Economist Democracy Index show that defense spending in autocracies has grown faster than in democracies.