NATO member states to spend ten times more on defense than Russian military budget
Photo: NATO countries spend 10 times more on defense than Russia (Getty Images)
NATO members plan to spend over $1.5 trillion on defense in 2025. The alliance’s countries are expanding their armed forces amid Russia’s war against Ukraine and pressure from the US, according to NATO’s report.
The US accounts for more than half of the Alliance’s spending. At 2021 prices, NATO’s total defense expenditure will reach $1.4 trillion, with $845 billion allocated to the United States.
All alliance countries hit target
According to NATO estimates, last year, more than 10 of the 32 members had not reached the 2% target agreed upon in 2014. Data for 2025 show that all allies have now met this goal, with seven countries reaching the 2.0% minimum, and several others slightly surpassing it.
According to the data, Poland spends the largest share of its economy on defense among NATO members - 4.48% of GDP. It is followed by Lithuania at 4% and Latvia at 3.73%.
These are the only alliance members currently exceeding the new defense spending target of 3.5% of GDP, agreed upon by NATO leaders at the Hague summit in June.
They plan to allocate an additional 1.5% of GDP to related goals, such as infrastructure and aid to Ukraine.
The agreement marks a historic moment for the alliance, reinvigorated after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which forced European leaders to radically reassess the threat from Moscow.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spent months pushing the US to reaffirm its commitments to collective defense.
The new targets promise to transform European armed forces and the continent’s security architecture. Germany leads in spending, with its annual defense budget expected to double to €162 billion over four years, while allocating €9 billion per year to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Ukraine’s spending
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Ukraine bears the highest military burden in the world. Its military spending accounted for 34% of GDP in 2024. Ukraine spent $65 billion of its own funds and received $60 billion in aid.
