Numbers

MILITARY SPENDING

8.8%

Percentage of Saudi Arabia's GDP devoted to military expenditure in 2005. Saudi Arabia has expensive taste in military hardware, such as Patriot missiles, from the U.S.

4%

Percentage of America's GDP devoted to military expenditure in 2005, a lower proportion but higher dollar amount: the U.S. spent $495.3 billion, compared with Saudi Arabia's $25.4 billion

VETERANS INSURANCE

177

Estimated number of days veterans filing disability claims with the Veterans Affairs Department have to wait for a response. And for veterans appealing a decision, the average wait is 657 days

30

Estimated number of days it takes private insurance companies to handle 75% to 80% of disability claims

DEMOGRAPHICS

13.6%

Percentage of Japan's population under the age of 15. That's a record low for Japan, which has the world's highest ratio of elderly to young people

$520 billion

Total sales of Japan's video-game industry in 2006, its biggest sales year ever.

WEAPONS TRADE

$24 million

Value of military materials China sold to Sudan in 2005, according to a recent Amnesty International report claiming that the weapons ended up in the hands of the government-backed Janjaweed militia

$8.1 billion

Value of weapons the U.S. supplied to developing countries, such as Pakistan and Kuwait, in 2005, which represents 46% of the worldwide weapons total

Sources: IISS (2); Washington Times (2); BBC; Enterbrain; BBC; Boston Globe