China spent almost $300bn on defence in 2021

Military expenditure, $bn

Expenditure

0

50

100

150

200

250

$300bn

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Guardian graphic | Source: World Bank. Note: expenditure figure is derived from the Nato definition, which includes all spending on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces, defence ministries, government agencies and military space activities