According to the latest data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on global military spending in 2025, there has been a significant increase in global military spending over the past few years. This increase is primarily driven by Europe on one hand and East and Southeast Asia on the other hand, while other regions of the world have seen their military spending stagnate.
- Among the top 40 countries in the world in terms of military budget, Ukraine has recorded the highest increase in military spending between 2016 and 2025.
- Outside of Israel, only European countries have more than doubled their military spending over this period.
- Among European countries, France and Greece have seen the smallest increase in their military spending over the past 10 years.
- But the United States has also experienced the second smallest increase in their military budget among these 40 countries, after Brazil.
- Iran is the only country where military spending has decreased in the past decade.
In 2025, the United States still dominates this ranking by a wide margin, followed by China which clearly surpasses Russia.
- Germany has now risen to the fourth position globally, with a defense budget almost twice that of France.
- While India surpasses its former colonizer, Ukraine ranks seventh globally and Saudi Arabia eighth, surpassing France which is now closely followed by Japan.
However, the war against Iran has highlighted an important aspect: comparing only military spending does not reflect the actual power of different armies.
- Iran’s military spending is indeed 14 times lower than that of its two opponents combined. Yet, the United States and Israel have not succeeded in defeating Tehran or toppling a very weakened regime.
- Military salaries and equipment costs vary considerably from one country to another.
- The United States, in particular, buys very expensive equipment from its powerful military-industrial complex, without necessarily being suited to current combat conditions, as seen in the war against Iran.
If we aggregate the military spending of European countries, at the level of the European Union or more broadly, including the United Kingdom, Norway, Ukraine, and Switzerland, the ranking is notably different.
- The United States still dominates, but the Europeans are close behind and, together, they far exceed China and Russia.
- Even without the United States, Europe has the means to counter Vladimir Putin’s aggressions.
- But this requires close coordination between European armies, interoperable equipment, and filling the gaps in their accumulated capabilities. However, this is not yet the case.
