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Global military spending hits record high

Source: The HillView Original
politicsApril 27, 2026

Defense

Global military spending hits record high

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by Ellen Mitchell - 04/27/26 4:58 PM ET

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by Ellen Mitchell - 04/27/26 4:58 PM ET

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Military spending across the globe hit a record high of nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, the 11th consecutive year it’s grown, according to a new report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The world’s military expenditures — the share of global gross domestic product (GDP) meant for armed forces — went up from 2.4 percent in 2024 to 2.5 percent in 2025, driven in large part by a sharp increase in European spending.

President Trump has repeatedly pressured European partners in NATO to step up their defense spending, even as he has flirted with leaving the group.

Though the year-over-year increase was significantly smaller than the 9.7 percent rise from 2023 to 2024, it’s still noteworthy given the United States recorded its sharpest single-year decline in defense spending.

“Global military spending rose again in 2025 as states responded to another year of wars, uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval with large-scale armament drives,” Xiao Liang, a researcher with SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program, said in a statement. “Given the range of current crises, as well as many states’ long-term military spending targets, this growth will probably continue through 2026 and beyond.”

The U.S. spent $954 billion for military purposes in 2025, 7.5 percent lower than the previous year. The dip mostly hinged on the Trump administration approving no new financial lethal aid for Ukraine, a change from the previous three years, when some $127 billion was allocated for Kyiv.

But that decline is likely to be short-lived given the Pentagon’s desired $1.5 trillion budget for fiscal 2027.

Europe drove most of the growth in global defense dollars, spending 14 percent more to the tune of $864 billion. That figure is the highest level SIPRI has ever recorded for the continent and comes as Trump has pushed NATO allies to spend more of their own funds on arming their forces, making thinly veiled threats to leave the alliance should countries not step up to the plate.

The 29 European NATO members spent a combined $559 billion on defense in 2025, with 22 of them allocating at least 2 percent of their GDP, according to SIPRI. Germany led the pack as the largest military spender, putting aside 24 percent more in 2025 compared with the year prior at $114 billion.

Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine also drove increases, with its military spending $190 billion, or 5.9 percent more. Ukraine upped its defense dollars by 20 percent to $84.1 billion, or 40 percent of GDP. Military expenditure as a share of GDP was the highest level ever recorded for both countries.

Total NATO spending was at $1.581 trillion in 2025, or 55 percent of the world’s total.

Countries in Asia and Oceania, meanwhile, spent a combined $681 billion, a 8.1 percent increase to $681 billion, the region’s highest increase since 2009.

Of that, China spent 7.4 percent more at roughly $336 billion, while Taiwan spent $18.2 billion — a 14 percent increase and its largest jump since 1988. Those jumps come as Beijing has stepped up war games around the independent island and threatened to take control.

Japan, meanwhile, had a $62.2 billion budget, or a 9.7 percent hike.

“U.S. allies in Asia and Oceania such as Australia, Japan and the Philippines are spending more on their militaries, not only due to long-standing regional tensions but also due to growing uncertainty over U.S. support,” according to Diego Lopes da Silva, a senior researcher with SIPRI. “As in Europe, US allies in Asia and Oceania are also under pressure from the Trump administration to spend more on their militaries.”

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