...the next 20 powers combined...

[Odessa Dawn]

But it's also a system in evident decline, hastened by overreach in the war on terror and paid for in blood and treasure both by Americans and across the world. US military spending is larger than the combined spending of the next 20 powers combined, its troops stationed in a majority of countries.


More:The world has voted in the US presidential election: Get America off our back

Does the next in the underlined part mean developed countries? I do try to get the meaning from the context itself.

[Gillnetter]

But it's also a system in evident decline, hastened by overreach in the war on terror and paid for in blood and treasure both by Americans and across the world. US military spending is larger than the combined spending of the next 20 powers combined, its troops stationed in a majority of countries.


More:The world has voted in the US presidential election: Get America off our back

Does the next in the underlined part mean developed countries? I do try to get the meaning from the context itself.

It doesn't say developed countries. It says the next 20 powers. The next 20 powers may or may not be developed countries. One would assume that the next 20 countries are developed countries, but then there would be questions as to what constitutes a developed country.

[Raymott]

"North Korea is the most militarized country in the world today,^[6] having the fourth largest army in the world, at about 1,106,000 armed personnel"
Korean People's Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Korea isn't a developed country, but it has the 4th largest military.