Military spending may not be the only indicator of a nation’s fighting power, but it’s the most obvious one. The U.S. spent over $600 billion on its military in 2014, outspending its closest rival, China, by nearly $400 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Related: Is America’s military the No. 1 fighting force in the world — or not?

Were things always this way?

Data visualization site HowMuch.net has put the numbers in historical perspective by creating an animated graphic of the past 25 years of military spending around the world. As HowMuhch put it, “America’s dominance is the one constant.”

In that 25 years, China takes over from Russia as America’s main challenger. And Middle Eastern countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, dramatically expand their share of the global pie.

Of course, the gap between the second biggest spender and the U.S. remains extremely large throughout. In 1990, the U.S. spent as much on defense as the six next biggest spenders: the U.S.S.R., Germany, France, the U.K., Japan and Italy.

There’s a familiar ring to that. In 2014, the U.S. spent as much as the seven next biggest countries: China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, the U.K., India and Germany.

Members of the U.S. Army at Arlington National Cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day. Reuters

Despite the U.S.’s total dominance on military spending, Americans are evenly divided when asked if the U.S. has the No. 1 military in the world.