SIPRI: Global military spending reaches $2.887 trillion in 2025

STOCKHOLM, April 27 (YPA) – The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) announced that total global military expenditure in 2025 reached approximately $2.887 trillion, an increase of 2.9% over 2024, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth.

According to the report, the share of military spending in global GDP reached 2.5%, the highest level since 2009. Although the annual growth rate of 2.9% was significantly lower than the 9.7% recorded in 2024, this slowdown is largely attributed to a decrease in spending in this field within the United States.

 

The Top Three Spenders

The three largest military spenders—the United States, China, and Russia—together spent $1.480 trillion, or 51% of the global total.

The top five countries by this indicator in 2025 were:

1. United States – $954 billion
2. China – $336 billion
3. Russia – $190 billion
4. Germany – $114 billion
5. India – $92.1 billion

Combined, these countries accounted for 58% of global military expenditure.

 

Regional Divergence in Spending

The institute’s experts noted that while military spending decreased in the United States, it rose significantly in other regions:

• Europe: Up by 14%
• Asia and Oceania: Up by 8.1%

Excluding the United States, total spending in 2025 rose by 9.2%.

 

Europe: Largest Increase Since the Cold War

Military spending in Europe reached $864 billion, a 14% increase, marking the largest annual rise in Central and Western Europe since the end of the Cold War. Notable increases included:

• Germany: $114 billion (up 24%), exceeding the 2.0% of GDP threshold for the first time since 1990.
• Spain: $40.2 billion (up 50%), surpassing 2.0% of GDP for the first time since 1994.
• France: $68 billion (up 1.5%).
• United Kingdom: $89 billion (down 2.0%).
• Russia: $190 billion (up 5.9%), equivalent to 7.5% of its GDP.
• Ukraine: $84.1 billion (up 20%), equivalent to 40% of its GDP, ranking 7th globally.

Researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato stated: “In 2025, military spending as a share of government expenditure reached its highest level ever in both Russia and Ukraine.”

 

Middle East: Slight Increase

Military spending in the Middle East reached approximately $218 billion, a slight increase of 0.1%, distributed as follows:

• Saudi Arabia (Ranked 8th): $83.2 billion (up 1.4%).
• “Israel” (Ranked 11th): $48.3 billion (down 4.9%) as the intensity of the war in Gaza declined, though it remained 97% higher than in 2022.
• Turkey (Ranked 18th): $30 billion (up 7.2%) due to military operations in Iraq, Somalia, and Syria.
• Iran (Ranked 38th): $7.4 billion (down 5.6%) for the second consecutive year. However, SIPRI noted that “official Iranian data is understated, as the country also uses off-budget oil revenues to fund its military.”

 

Asia and Oceania: Continuous Military Modernization

Spending reached $681 billion, an 8.1% increase, distributed as follows:

• China: $336 billion (up 7.4%), for the 31st consecutive year.
• India: $92.1 billion (up 8.9%).
• Japan (Ranked 10th): $62.2 billion (up 9.7%), the highest level since 1958.
• Pakistan (Ranked 31th): $11.9 billion (up 11%).
• Taiwan (Ranked 22nd): $18.2 billion (up 14%), the largest annual increase since 1988.

 

Africa: Strong Growth

Military spending in Africa increased by 8.5% to reach $58.2 billion. Nigeria saw a 55% growth, reaching $2.1 billion, due to the deteriorating security situation and insurgent movements.

 

NATO: 55% of Global Spending

The military expenditure of the 32 NATO member states amounted to approximately $1.581 trillion, or 55% of global spending. The 29 European NATO members spent a total of $559 billion, and military spending in 22 of them reached at least 2.0% of their GDP.

 

YPA