Norway spent less money on defense in 2021 – VG
In 2021, Norway fell out of the list of NATO countries that spend more than one percent of their gross national product on defense. This is shown by NATO’s annual report presented by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Thursday.
NATO’s preliminary comparison shows that Norway spent 1.74 per cent of GDP on defense in 2021 – compared with 2.0 per cent in 2020.
Eight out of 30 member countries spent more than one percent on their defense budget last year. The two percent target was adopted at the NATO summit in 2014 and was to be reached within 10 years, ie no later than 2024.
– 2021 was the seventh year in a row with an increase in spending on defense among the European allies and Canada. Real growth was 3.1 percent, Stoltenberg said in his presentation.
While NATO’s common ambition is to increase defense spending from year to year, Norwegian defense spending fell by nine percent last year, the statistics show.
The goal is to percent
The Labor-Sp government in the government platform from Hurdal that Norway should have written the percentage target.
– The Secretary General’s report shows that Norway is listed with 1.74 percent of GDP in 2021. Our investment share is around 30 percent, which is well above the 20% target for NATO. We will continue to strengthen the defense, and continue to work towards the goal of one percent, writes Minister of Defense Odd Roger Enoksen (Sp) in an email to VG.
– We expect Norway’s GDP share to rise somewhat towards 2024. Final shares will depend on future developments in the Norwegian economy, he adds.
USA at the top
The United States spends 3.57 percent of its GDP on defense, and accounts for 69 percent of NATO countries’ total use of resources on defense.
Together with the USA, Norway is at the top of the list of NATO countries that spend the most money on defense, measured by population.
According to the Ministry of Finance’s forecasts, Norway will not reach the percentage target in 2022 either. Due to strong growth in the economy, the share of defense expenditure in GDP is likely to land at 1.9 per cent.
The OECD, which this winter has had higher growth estimates for the Norwegian economy, has calculated that in 2022 Norway will spend 1.7 per cent of GDP on defense.