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Ulviyya Poladova

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Global military expenditure increased to $2887 billion in 2025, the 11th year of consecutive rises, bringing the global military burden - military expenditure as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) - to 2.5 per cent, its highest level since 2009, AzerNEWS reports.

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, military spending declined in the United States but rose by 14 per cent in Europe and by 8.1 per cent in Asia and Oceania. The top three military spenders - the USA, China and Russia - spent a combined total of $1480 billion, or 51 per cent of the global total.

At 2.9 per cent, the annual spending increase was significantly smaller than the 9.7 per cent increase recorded in 2024. However, this slowdown is largely accounted for by a drop in US military spending. Outside the USA, total spending grew by 9.2 per cent in 2025.

"Global military spending rose again in 2025 as states responded to another year of wars, uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval with large-scale armament drive," said Xiao Liang, Researcher with SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.

The 29 European NATO members spent a combined total of $559 billion in 2025, and 22 of them had military spending of at least 2.0 per cent of GDP, according to SIPRI’s methodology. Germany was the largest military spender in the group, with its expenditure growing by 24 per cent year-on-year to $114 billion. Germany’s military burden exceeded the 2.0 per cent threshold for the first time since 1990, reaching 2.3 per cent of GDP in 2025. Military spending by Spain increased by 50 per cent to $40.2 billion, also bringing its military burden above 2.0 per cent of GDP for the first time since 1994.

Military expenditure in the Middle East reached an estimated $218 billion in 2025, just 0.1 per cent higher than in 2024. Besides Israel, most of the other major spenders in the region for which data is available increased their spending.

The military expenditure of Israel decreased by 4.9 per cent to $48.3 billion, reflecting a reduction in the intensity of the war in Gaza during 2025. Nevertheless, Israel’s spending remained 97 per cent higher than in 2022. Military spending by Türkiye grew by 7.2 per cent in 2025 to $30.0 billion.