Which countries are the top military spenders and where does Europe rank?

EXPLAINER

Monday’s meeting in the French capital follows the Munich Security Conference, which ended on Sunday, where US Vice President JD Vance reiterated Trump’s stance that Europe must increase its defence spending.

In January, Trump called on NATO’s European members to allocate 5 percent of their gross national products (GDPs) to defence. Member states have also been urged to increase their defense spending by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

How much is global military spending?

Global military spending hit $2.44 trillion in 2023, or $306 per person, marking a 6.8 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). This was the largest year-on-year rise since 2009.

By comparison, in 2000, global military expenditures were $798bn, or $130 per capita – less than a third of the amount spent today.

Total military spending is the total money that nations spend on their respective militaries and related activities. This includes costs for soldiers, operations, weapons, equipment, research and military infrastructure.

Which countries spend the most on their militaries?

The US spends the most money on military, making it the world’s largest military spender. In 2023, it paid out $880bn –&nbsp, more than the next eight countries combined, according to SIPRI.

China is the second highest spender with $309bn, followed by Russia at $126bn, India at $83bn and Saudi Arabia at $74bn.

The countries’ total military expenditures are listed in the table below, along with their per capita expenditures and spending as a proportion of their GDPs and government budgets. To sort the table, click on the columns to the left.

Which countries invest the most of their GDP in their militaries?

Due to its ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine allocated $62bn to its military in 2023, the highest share of GDP at 36.7 percent.

Lebanon ranked second, spending 8.9 percent of its GDP, followed by Algeria at 8.2 percent, Saudi Arabia at 7.1 percent and South Sudan at 6.3 percent.

What percentage of NATO members’ money is spent?

NATO, established in 1949 by 12 founding member states, is the world’s most powerful military alliance. Its original goal was to promote political cohesion in Europe and halt Soviet expansion.

Over the past 75 years, its membership has grown to 32 members with Finland and Sweden becoming the latest countries to join in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

To ensure the alliance’s military readiness, the defense ministers agreed in 2006 to allocate at least 2% of their GDPs to defense spending.

Currently, two-thirds of its members (23 of 32) have fulfilled this commitment, raising the money spent on defence by all NATO members to $1.47 trillion in 2024. This is an improvement over the 2014 commitment of only 10 nations that met the 2 percent guideline in 2023 and three that met the commitment in 2014.