The United States spent a total of $5.9 billion to fund militaries around the world in 2014, according to the government’s 2015 Foreign Assistance report. Of that total, some 75%, or about $4.4 billion, was divided between Israel and Egypt.
Clearly, the Middle East, at 64% of the pie, is the theme here, with Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon also found among the top 10 recipients. Closer to home, Colombia led the Americas with a relatively scant $29 million. Still, that’s enough to place it ninth overall on the list.
To put these numbers in perspective, cost-estimating website HowMuch.net created this map, which shows the relative size of each country in terms of the amount they received from the United States. As you can see, Israel is huge, while Mexico barely registers.
