Global military spending reached $2.9 trillion in 2025, an increase of 2.9% in one year despite a decline in US military spending, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) reported on Monday. The increases were particularly marked in Europe and Asia.

Published on: 04/27/2026 - 02:58 Modified on: 04/27/2026 - 07:38

The world spent nearly $2.9 trillion on military spending in 2025, marking an eleventh consecutive year of growth amid multiple conflicts, according to the report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) published Monday April 27.

The top three contributors – the United States, China and Russia – accounted for more than half of the total spending, or $1.48 trillion.

The increase reached 2.9% in one year, despite a decline in American military spending. This decline was largely offset by increases in Europe and Asia on the occasion of “a new year marked by wars and intensifying tensions”, explains Lorenzo Scarazzato, Sipri researcher at Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"The military burden", or the share of global GDP devoted to military spending, is the highest since 2009.

“Everything indicates that the world feels less secure and is spending more on its armed forces in order to cope with the global context,” notes the researcher.

Europe, main engine of the global rise

The United States spent $954 billion, 7.5% less than in 2024, but the drop was mainly due to the fact that no new military financial aid to Ukraine was approved, unlike the previous three years, when a total of $127 billion was pledged.

This drop is also expected to be short-lived, as the US Congress has approved spending of more than $1 trillion for 2026, and this could reach $1.5 trillion in 2027 if Donald Trump's budget proposal is adopted.

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The main driver of this global increase came from Europe, which includes Russia and Ukraine, and saw a 14% increase in spending, to $864 billion.

"This is explained by two major factors. One is the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the other is the disengagement of the United States from Europe," said Lorenzo Scarazzato. The United States is “pushing Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense.”

Germany, the fourth largest country in the world in terms of spending, increased it by 24% in 2025 to reach $114 billion.

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Spain also significantly increased its spending, by 50%, to $40.2 billion, reaching more than 2% of GDP for the first time since 1994.

Russia's spending increased 5.9% to $190 billion, or 7.5% of GDP.

Ukraine, meanwhile, increased its spending by 20% to $84.1 billion, or 40% of GDP.

Spending propelled in Asia

Despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East, spending rose only marginally, by 0.1 percent, in the region to $218 billion.

While most countries in the region have increased spending, Israel and Iran have actually reduced it.

In Iran, spending fell 5.6% to $7.4 billion, but this was mainly due to high annual inflation of 42%. Spending in nominal terms has increased.

For Israel, the 4.9% drop to $48.3 billion reflects the easing of the war in Gaza following the ceasefire with Hamas in January 2025, the researchers said, while noting that spending remained 97% higher than in 2022.

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In the Asia-Oceania region, spending totaled $681 billion, an increase of 8.5% from 2024 – the largest annual increase since 2009.

The “main player” in the region is China, which has increased its spending every year over the past three decades and will spend around $336 billion in 2025, notes the Sipri researcher.

“But the interest probably comes from the reaction of some other states, such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, to the perception of the threat,” he said.

Japan increased its military spending by 9.7%, to reach $62.2 billion in 2025, or 1.4% of GDP – the highest share since 1958 – while Taiwan increased its spending by 14%, to reach $18.2 billion.

With AFP

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