Defence Statistics 2026: Global Military Spending, NATO Budgets, and Top Spenders

Defence statistics at a glance

Defence spending is still expanding at a pace that keeps pushing the global total into new territory.

The latest figures show a world where military budgets are rising across the largest spenders, NATO totals are still climbing, and a handful of countries are accounting for a very large share of the bill.

Key takeaways

• World military expenditure reached $2,718 billion in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Global military spending rose 9.4% in 2024 in real terms (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• The United States spent $997 billion on the military in 2024 and accounted for 37% of global military expenditure (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• China spent an estimated $314 billion and Russia spent an estimated $149 billion in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• NATO total defence expenditure reached $1,210 billion in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024).
• Twenty-eight NATO Allies met the 20% major-equipment guideline in 2024, compared with seven in 2014 (NATO Secretary General Annual Report 2024).

Fast facts

• World military burden: 2.5% of global GDP in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Average military spending: 7.1% of government expenditure in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• World military spending per person: $334 in 2024, the highest since 1990 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Global military spending was 37% higher in 2024 than in 2015 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

Contents

1. The global picture
2. The biggest defence spenders
3. NATO defence statistics
4. What the country-level numbers show
5. How to read defence statistics

The global picture

The broad story in defence statistics is simple: the total keeps rising, and the pace is still strong.

World military expenditure reached $2,718 billion in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024). That figure matters because it is not just a nominal record in isolation. The same dataset shows global military spending rose 9.4% in 2024 in real terms (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024), which means the increase is not only the result of price changes.

Another way to read the same trend is through the long view. Global military spending was 37% higher in 2024 than in 2015 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024). That is a major shift over a single decade and suggests a sustained upward repricing of defence priorities around the world.

Why it matters

When defence budgets rise at this scale, the effect is visible far beyond defence ministries.

• Larger budgets affect procurement, personnel, research, logistics, and readiness.
• National totals can reshape fiscal trade-offs with health, education, infrastructure, and debt service.
• Higher defence burdens can signal elevated security pressure, but they can also show a strategic move toward long-term military capability.

The burden figures help put the spending into context. In 2024, world military burden was 2.5% of global GDP and average military spending was 7.1% of government expenditure (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024). Those two measures show that defence is not just growing in absolute dollars; it is also taking a meaningful share of the global economic and budgetary pie.

A particularly useful benchmark is per-person spending. World military spending per person was $334 in 2024, the highest since 1990 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024). That figure is easy to overlook, but it makes the scale of the global defence bill easier to grasp. It also shows how the burden is spread across populations rather than just balanced in national totals.

The biggest defence spenders

The top end of the market remains heavily concentrated.

The United States sits far ahead of every other country in the dataset. The United States spent $997 billion on the military in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024). That is nearly a trillion dollars on one national defence budget alone. The same source says US military spending rose 5.7% from 2023 to 2024 and was 19% higher in 2024 than in 2015 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

China is the second giant in the list. China spent an estimated $314 billion on the military in 2024 and its spending rose 7.0% in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024). Russia is also notable: Russia spent an estimated $149 billion and its military spending rose 38% in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

These numbers show a pattern that is easy to miss if you focus only on the top line total. The largest spenders are not moving in lockstep. Some are growing steadily, some are accelerating sharply, and some are adjusting after earlier peaks.

Compact comparison table

Country	2024 military spending	2024 change	Source
United States	$997 billion	+5.7%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
China	$314 billion	+7.0%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
Russia	$149 billion	+38%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
Germany	$88.5 billion	+28%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
India	$86.1 billion	+1.6%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
United Kingdom	$81.8 billion	+2.8%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
Saudi Arabia	$80.3 billion	-20%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
France	$64.7 billion	+6.1%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
Ukraine	$64.7 billion	+1,251%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024
Japan	$55.3 billion	+21%	SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024

What stands out in the table

• Germany’s $88.5 billion and India’s $86.1 billion show that the next tier below the superpowers is still very large (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Saudi Arabia’s 20% decline is one of the sharpest reversals in the list (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Ukraine’s 1,251% surge is extreme even by wartime standards and completely changes the scale of its defence outlays from one year to the next (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Japan’s 21% increase and Germany’s 28% increase highlight how fast spending can accelerate among major economies when policy shifts (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

Big number

The United States accounted for 37% of global military expenditure in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

That single figure explains why changes in US defence budgets can have such a strong effect on the global picture. Even modest percentage changes in the American budget translate into very large absolute-dollar shifts.

NATO defence statistics

NATO gives another useful lens because it combines a military alliance view with national budget data.

The alliance total is large on its own. NATO total defence expenditure reached $1,210 billion in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024). That is a huge share of the overall global defence total, which makes NATO one of the central blocs in any defence statistics roundup.

Even more specific is the combined Europe-and-Canada figure. NATO Europe and Canada’s defence expenditure reached $669 billion in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024). The same source says this represented 33.2% of NATO total in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024).

NATO at a glance

• NATO total defence expenditure: $1,210 billion in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024)
• NATO Europe and Canada: $669 billion in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024)
• Europe and Canada share of NATO total: 33.2% in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024)
• Allies meeting the 20% major-equipment guideline: 28 in 2024, up from 7 in 2014 (NATO Secretary General Annual Report 2024)

The equipment-guideline figure is one of the clearest signs that NATO members have shifted priorities over the last decade. Twenty-eight NATO Allies met the 20% major-equipment guideline in 2024, compared with seven in 2014 (NATO Secretary General Annual Report 2024). That change suggests a stronger emphasis on procurement and capability investment rather than just keeping spending flat.

Why NATO figures matter

For readers tracking defence statistics, NATO data is useful because it answers a different question than global country rankings. It helps show:

• how alliance-level spending compares with country-level totals,
• whether spending is concentrated in a few large members,
• and whether member states are shifting from legacy spending patterns toward equipment investment.

NATO also gives policy analysts a way to look at shared burden and readiness. A rising total does not automatically mean balanced contributions, so the combined figures and guideline counts help show the broader direction of travel.

What the country-level numbers show

The country list in the dataset is more revealing than a simple ranking because it shows different types of growth.

1. Fast growth among already large budgets

Some of the biggest economies increased spending noticeably in 2024:

• Germany spent $88.5 billion, up 28% (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Japan spent $55.3 billion, up 21% (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Canada spent $29.3 billion, up 6.8% (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• France spent $64.7 billion, up 6.1% (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Australia spent $33.8 billion, up 1.9% (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

These are not tiny adjustments. In absolute dollar terms, even a low double-digit percentage increase on a large defence budget can create major procurement, personnel, and readiness implications.

2. Very sharp wartime or crisis-driven shifts

A few figures stand out for their scale of movement rather than the absolute budget size:

• Ukraine spent $64.7 billion and its military spending surged 1,251% from 2023 to 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Russia’s military spending rose 38% in 2024 to $149 billion (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Israel spent $46.5 billion and spending rose 65% in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Poland spent $38.0 billion and spending rose 31% in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

These are the kinds of changes that reshape regional security debates quickly. They also make year-over-year comparisons especially important, because a single year can redefine a country’s place in the ranking.

3. Declines are still part of the picture

Not every major spender moved upward.

Saudi Arabia spent an estimated $80.3 billion on the military in 2024, but military spending fell 20% in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024). That is a reminder that defence budgets can move down as well as up, depending on fiscal conditions, procurement timing, and strategic priorities.

Short ranking snapshot

• Top spender: United States at $997 billion (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Second place: China at $314 billion (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Third place: Russia at $149 billion (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Next cluster: Germany, India, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France, Ukraine, and Japan, all between $55.3 billion and $88.5 billion (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

How to read defence statistics

Defence statistics are most useful when you read them as a set, not as isolated numbers.

Use more than one measure

A spending total tells you scale, but not context. Pair it with:

• growth rate, to see momentum,
• share of GDP, to see economic burden,
• share of government expenditure, to see budget pressure,
• and per-person spending, to see the burden spread across citizens.

That is why the combination of $2,718 billion global military expenditure, 2.5% of global GDP, 7.1% of government expenditure, and $334 per person is so valuable (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

Compare like with like

A country that spends $80 billion is not automatically spending less aggressively than a country that spends $100 billion. Population size, GDP, currency movement, war status, and alliance commitments all matter.

The dataset makes this clear:

• India spent $86.1 billion with only 1.6% growth (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Germany spent $88.5 billion with 28% growth (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Israel spent $46.5 billion with 65% growth (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Saudi Arabia spent $80.3 billion with a 20% decline (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).

The totals alone do not tell the whole story. The change rate often tells you more about the direction of policy.

Look for concentration

One of the biggest lessons from the 2024 numbers is concentration.

• The United States alone made up 37% of global military expenditure (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• NATO total defence expenditure reached $1,210 billion (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024).
• Europe and Canada together accounted for $669 billion of NATO defence expenditure and 33.2% of NATO total (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024).

This concentration matters because a few large budgets can drive a disproportionate share of global defence trends, especially when those budgets move quickly.

Final data points worth keeping in view

• Global spending is still rising fast: up 9.4% in 2024 (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• The burden is not just national, it is global: 2.5% of global GDP and $334 per person (SIPRI Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024).
• Alliance spending is large enough to matter on its own: $1,210 billion for NATO in 2024 (NATO Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries 2014-2024).
• Procurement emphasis is widening: 28 NATO Allies met the 20% major-equipment guideline in 2024, up from 7 in 2014 (NATO Secretary General Annual Report 2024).