Above photo: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP.
This represents the 11th straight year of rising global military expenditure.
Reaching its highest level since 2009.
In 2025, governments worldwide allocated an all-time high of $2.887 trillion to military spending, according to the most recent report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published on 27 April.
The data shows a 2.9 percent annual increase, marking the 11th consecutive year of rising global military spending, with the global military burden reaching its highest level since 2009 at 2.5 percent of GDP.
SIPRI researcher Xiao Liang said the rise reflects how states responded to “another year of wars, uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval with large-scale armament drives.”
The US remained the largest military spender at $954 billion, despite a 7.5 percent decline compared to 2024, with SIPRI attributing the drop to the absence of new military aid for Ukraine after $127 billion had been approved over the previous three years.
Sharp rise in European spending amid war and new @NATO spending target: The main contributor to the global increase in military spending in 2025 was a 14% rise in Europe to $864 billion.
New #SIPRI data out now ➡️ https://t.co/v3R3B7bzCt#SIPRI #MilitaryExpenditure… pic.twitter.com/rODddWnQ3m
— SIPRI (@SIPRIorg) April 27, 2026
However, SIPRI noted that Washington continued investing heavily in nuclear and conventional forces to maintain dominance and counter China, warning that the decline is “likely to be short-lived.”
Program director Nan Tian added that spending approved by the US Congress for 2026 has already risen to over $1 trillion, and “could rise further to $1.5 trillion in 2027” if the latest budget proposal is accepted.
Europe, which the report noted was the “main contributor to the global increase in military spending,” recorded a 14 percent increase, reaching $864 billion, driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine and NATO rearmament, with the sharpest growth in Central and Western Europe since the end of the Cold War.
In 2025, the world spent $2.9 trillion on the military.
We demand better.
Cut military spending. Fund people. Protect the planet.
Say NO to war. No more profits over lives.📅 Take action or join events during #GDAMS, 9 April–10 May 2026. Learn more: https://t.co/DCjgdqiZX0 pic.twitter.com/IS69nkQI2W
— World BEYOND War (@WorldBeyondWar) April 27, 2026
Russia increased spending by 5.9 percent to $190 billion, while Ukraine raised its budget by 20 percent to $84.1 billion. SIPRI researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato said both reached record shares of government spending and could rise further if the war continues.
In Asia and Oceania, military spending rose by 8.1 percent to $681 billion in 2025, the fastest annual increase since 2009, driven by sustained military expansion across the region.
China, the world’s second-largest military spender, increased its budget by 7.4 percent to $336 billion, marking its 31st consecutive year of growth as it continued its military modernization drive
One SIPRI researcher noted that “US 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 US support,” adding that these states are also “under pressure from the Trump administration to spend more on their militaries.”
Israel reduced its military expenditure by 4.9 percent to $48.3 billion, with the report noting the drop followed a decrease in the intensity of its genocide in Gaza after the January 2025 ceasefire – though attacks and ceasefire violations continue unabated, with renewed bombardment now intensifying.
Spending remained 97 percent higher than in 2022, a year before the assault on Gaza began.
Iran’s military spending fell by 5.6 percent in real terms to $7.4 billion, marking a second consecutive annual decline, which SIPRI linked to high inflation.
However, the report stressed that official figures “almost certainly understate the true level of Iran’s spending,” noting that Tehran relies on off-budget oil revenues to finance its military, including missile and drone production.
