Economic Costs | Costs of War (2024)

Through Fiscal Year 2022, the United States federal government has spent and obligated $8 trillion dollarson the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and elsewhere. This figure includes: direct Congressional war appropriations; war-related increases to the Pentagon base budget; veterans care and disability; increases in the homeland security budget; interest payments on direct war borrowing; foreign assistance spending; and estimated future obligations for veterans’ care.

This total omits many other expenses, such as the macroeconomic costs to the US economy; the opportunity costs of not investing war dollars in alternative sectors; future interest on war borrowing; and local government and private war costs.

Public access to budget information about the post-9/11 is imperfect and incomplete. The scale of spending alone makes it hard to grasp. Public understanding of the budgetary costs of war is further limited by secrecy, faulty accountingand the deferral of current costs.

The current wars have been paid for almost entirely by borrowing. This borrowing has raised the U.S. budget deficit, increased the national debt and had other macroeconomic effects, such as raising consumer interest rates. Unless the U.S. immediately repays the money borrowed for war, there will also be future interest payments. We estimate that interest payments could total over $6.5 trillion by the 2050s.

Spending on the wars has involved opportunity costs for the U.S. economy. Although military spending does produce jobs, spending in other areas such as health care could produce more jobs. Additionally, investment in nonmilitary public infrastructure such as roads and schools has not grown at the same rate as investment in military infrastructure.

Finally, in addition to federal war costs, the post-9/11 wars have cost billions of dollars of state, municipal and private funds, including dollars spent on services for returned veterans and their families and local homeland security efforts.

(Page updated as of September 2021)

Economic Costs | Costs of War (2024)

FAQs

Economic Costs | Costs of War? ›

The global economic impact of violence is ~ $14.4 trillion.

What are the economic effects of war? ›

Putting aside the very real human cost, war has also serious economic costs – damage to infrastructure, a decline in the working population, inflation, shortages, uncertainty, a rise in debt and disruption to normal economic activity.

What is the true cost of war? ›

The true cost of war, however, is measured in the lives cut short and those left behind to carry on their memory. The true cost of war is the child who grows up without a father or mother or the partner who loses the opportunity to grow old with their significant other.

What has been the economic cost of the war on terror? ›

Costs of the 20-year war on terror: $8 trillion and 900,000 deaths.

What is the meaning of cost of war? ›

Property damage, the lost economic value of people killed or disabled in war, the costs of wartime economic disruption, and, conversely, the "negative" costs—that is, economic gain—of a wartime boom are also factors to consider in determining war costs.

Does war cause inflation? ›

All in all, there are a number of different ways, both on the demand and supply sides, in which war can lead to inflation rising, both in individual countries and in the world economy as a whole. The fact that war leads to inflation becomes quite clear when studying a longer time series for inflation.

What are the negative effects of war? ›

War has a catastrophic effect on the health and well being of nations. Studies have shown that conflict situations cause more mortality and disability than any major disease. War destroys communities and families and often disrupts the development of the social and economic fabric of nations.

How much does war cost the economy? ›

The global economic impact of violence is ~ $14.4 trillion.

The 2021 Economic Value of Peace report shows that the global economic impact of violence is estimated to be $14.4 trillion.

What wars cost the most money? ›

Top 10 Most Expensive Wars in History
  1. USA – Mexico. Ranked at the 10th position is the conflict between the USA and Mexico. ...
  2. The Gulf War. ...
  3. The American Civil War. ...
  4. The Vietnam War. ...
  5. The Korean War. ...
  6. The War on Terror. ...
  7. World War I. ...
  8. World War II.

Which war cost the most American lives? ›

Number of military fatalities in all major wars involving the United States from 1775 to 2024
War (and years of U.S. military involvement)Number of fatalities
American Civil War (1861-1865)620,000
World War II (1939-1945)405,399
World War I (1917-1918)116,516
Vietnam War (1965-1973)58,209
7 more rows
May 22, 2024

What were the economic costs of WWI? ›

Rockoff estimates the total cost of World War I to the United States at approximately $32 billion, or 52 percent of gross national product at the time. He breaks down the financing of the U.S. war effort as follows: 22 percent in taxes, 58 percent through borrowings from the public, and 20 percent in money creation.

How did governments pay the cost of war? ›

And while the U.S. paid for past wars by raising taxes and selling war bonds, the current wars have been paid for almost entirely with borrowed money, on which interest has to be paid.

How much did WWII cost the US? ›

Though it lasted fewer than four years, World War II was the most expensive war in United States history. Adjusted for inflation to today's dollars, the war cost over $4 trillion and in 1945, the war's last year, defense spending comprised about 40% of gross domestic product (GDP).

How do wars affect the economy? ›

Impact on Trade: Wars can disrupt trade routes and relations, affecting the import and export of goods. Trade disruptions can lead to shortages of essential goods, inflation, and a decline in economic activity.

Why is there profit in war? ›

War usually leads to a shortage in the supply of commodities, which results in higher prices and higher revenues. When it comes to supply and demand in terms of economics, profit is the most important end. During war time, "war-stuff" is in high demand, and demands must be met.

Which war in history claimed the most lives? ›

World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China.

What are some economic factors that affect war? ›

In general, access to distant markets and scarce resources, imperialism, concerns about the impact of economic interdependence and population growth have been the most common economic causes of the outbreak of international wars, while the 'greed' and the exacerbation of 'grievances' are considered to be the main ...

What happened to the economy after the war? ›

As the Cold War unfolded in the decade and a half after World War II, the United States experienced phenomenal economic growth. The war brought the return of prosperity, and in the postwar period the United States consolidated its position as the world's richest country.

How does total war affect the economy? ›

Here are some of the ways that total war affected the economies of the warring nations: 1. Government control: The government took control of the economy, directing resources towards the war effort. This included rationing of food, fuel, and other goods, as well as price controls and the regulation of industry.

What was the economic impact of the Great war? ›

The main economic consequence during and at the end of WWI was the loss of money and resources on both sides. The countries involved had to invest many resources in weapons, strengthen their armies, and the developing new technological advantages. Before the war, Germany had emerged as a new industrial power.

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