WASHINGTON — American taxpayers doled out $5.9 billion in foreign military financing in 2014, according to the government’s Foreign Assistance report — that’s roughly the GDP of Somalia. But where did the money go?
To the usual suspects, mostly — Israel ($3.1B) and Egypt ($1.3B) received roughly 75% of all foreign military aid money handed out by the U.S. last year.
This map from the cost-information website howmuch.net shows the relative size of countries based on how much U.S. military aid they receive.
The top five recipients of foreign military financing in 2014, according to the report:
1. Israel: $3.1 billion
2. Egypt: $1.3 billion
3. Iraq: $300 million
3. Jordan: $300 million
5. Pakistan: $280 million
What also stands out from the report is the regional distribution — the Middle East (64%) and Africa (23%) account for 86% of all U.S. foreign military financing last year.
U.S. spent $35 billion on foreign economic aid last year
The $5.9 billion for military funding represents 17% of the roughly $35 billion the U.S. spent on foreign aid in 2014, according to the report.
This map from howmuch.net shows the relative size of countries based on how much economic aid they received from the U.S. last year:
Again, the Middle East dominates the top five, thanks mostly to Israel:
1. Israel: $3.1 billion
2. Egypt: $1.5 billion
3. Afghanistan: $1.1 billion
4. Jordan: $1 billion
5. Pakistan: $933 million
