Under US pressure, European military spending soars 14%

Global military expenditure reached $2.89 trillion in 2025, up 2.9% from 2024, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday.

Notably, Europe’s defense spending rose sharply, surging 14% to $864 billion.

This marks the 11th consecutive year of global military expenditure growth, pushing military spending as a share of global GDP to 2.5%, the highest level since 2009.

Among European NATO members, 29 countries reported a combined military budget of $559 billion in 2025, with 22 of them allocating at least 2% of their GDP to defense.

The report also noted that the United States remained the world’s largest military spender, with $954 billion in 2025.

US defense spending fell 7.5% from 2024 due to the absence of new military aid approvals for Ukraine. Nonetheless, the research institute said the dip is temporary as the US Congress has already approved over $1 trillion for 2026, a substantial increase from 2025.

If US President Donald Trump’s latest budget proposal is passed, US defense spending could rise further to $1.5 trillion in 2027.