Military expenditures:
2.22% of GDP (2016)
2.27% of GDP (2015)
2.26% of GDP (2014)
2.3% of GDP (2013)
2.36% of GDP (2012)
[see also: Military expenditures country ranks ]
Maritime threats:
the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports that 2016 saw a continued decrease in global pirate activities; in 2016, pirates attacked a total of 191 ships world-wide including boarding 150 ships, hijacking seven ships, and firing on 12; this activity is down from 246 incidents in 2015; in 2016, the number of hostages dropped to 151, however, the number of seafarers kidnapped for ransom increased dramatically to 62 with over half taken off West Africa;
the first half of 2017 saw 87 incidents compared with 97 during the same time period in 2016; during this six-month period, 63 ships were boarded, 12 fired upon, and four hijacked, resulting in 63 crew members taken hostage, 41 kidnapped for ransom, three injured, and two killed; the Horn of Africa continued to see pirate activities with nine incidents in the first half of 2017, a slight increase over 2016; the decrease in successful pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa was due, in part, to anti-piracy operations by international naval forces, the hardening of vessels, and the increased use of armed security teams aboard merchant ships; despite these preventative measures, the assessed risk remains high;
Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO naval task force established in 2009 to combat Somali piracy, concluded its operations in December 2016 as a result of the drop in reported incidents over the last few years; the EU naval mission continues its operatons in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean; West African piracy is a growing threat with 36 attacks in 2016 compared to 14 in 2015; Nigerian pirates are very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore and linked with at least three hijackings that occurred in this area; attacks in South Asian waters remain at low levels with a decrease in Bangladesh from 11 incidents in 2015 to three in 2016; Peru reported 11 incidents, up from none in 2015; attacks in Viet Nam declined from 15 in 2015 to seven in 2016