HC Deb 13 January 1976 vol 903 cc105-6W
26. Mr. Hooson

asked the Secretary at State for Defence if he will give, from international sources of information available to him, the current estimates of the proportion of the gross national product of the USSR spent on armaments and defence; and how this figure compares with the comparable figure of the United Kingdom and that of the USA.

Mr. Mason

Precise comparisons of defence burdens are complicated by different economic and pricing systems and by the covert nature of Soviet policy. The latest estimate is that the USSR spent over 10 per cent. of its GNP on defence in 1974. The most recent NATO figures give USA and United Kingdom proportions of 6.7 per cent. and 5.9 per cent. respectively for the same year.

Mr. Madden

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the level of defence expenditure, as a percentage of GNP, of Great Britain, the United States of America, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Sweden in, respectively, 1900, 1930, 1950, 1970, and at the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. Mason

The figures requested are not available for 1900, 1930 and 1950. The precentages in the current NATO comparative tables go back only to 1966. On the other hand, they provide provisional estimates for 1975. The figures for the NATO countries, based on the NATO definition of defence expenditure, for 1966, 1970 and 1975 are:

1966 1970 1975
United Kingdom 6.5 5.6 5.7
United States 9.2 8.7 6.7
France 6.1 4.9 4.6
Federal Republic of Germany 4.7 3.7 4.1
Italy 3.8 3.0 2.8

If expenditure on Berlin Aid were included, the German figures would read: 5.3 4.3 5.0

The most readily available figures for Japan and Sweden are for 1965, 1970 and 1974; they are:

1965 1970 1974
Japan 0.9 0.9 0.9
Sweden 4.4 4.0 3.9

Owing to differences in methods of calculation, these figures may not be strictly comparable with the NATO figures.

Forward to