Reference
Annual defense budgets, GDP share, per-capita cost, and year-over-year change for the 25 largest military spenders. SIPRI 2025 actuals (released April 27, 2026).
| # | Country | 2026 spend | % of GDP | Per capita | YoY | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $954.0B | 3.1% | $2,805 | +-7.5% | SIPRI 2025 actual; -7.5% real after Ukraine supplemental ended. FY2026 enacted ~$895B; with supplementals projected to cross $1T. |
| 2 | China | $336.0B | 1.7% | $237 | +7.4% | SIPRI 2025 estimate; official 2026 budget ~$277B. Off-budget items add ~20%. |
| 3 | Russia | $190.0B | 7.5% | $1,310 | +5.9% | Wartime spending; rouble volatility adds uncertainty. |
| 4 | Germany | $114.0B | 2.3% | $1,355 | +24.0% | EUR 108B 2026 budget; +24% real in 2025 — first major post-war buildup. |
| 5 | India | $92.1B | 2.3% | $64 | +8.9% | Overtook UK in 2025 to become #5. |
| 6 | United Kingdom | $89.0B | 2.4% | $1,310 | +-2.0% | — |
| 7 | Ukraine | $84.1B | 40.0% | $2,250 | +20.0% | Excludes foreign military aid; highest GDP share globally. Overtook Saudi Arabia for #7 in 2025. |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | $83.2B | 6.5% | $2,255 | +1.4% | — |
| 9 | France | $68.0B | 2.0% | $1,010 | +1.5% | — |
| 10 | Japan | $62.2B | 1.4% | $502 | +9.7% | On trajectory to NATO-style 2% target by 2027. |
| 11 | Israel | $48.3B | 7.8% | $5,138 | +-4.9% | Down from wartime 2024 peak. |
| 12 | Italy | $48.1B | 2.0% | $815 | +12.0% | Crossed 2% of GDP threshold for the first time. |
| 13 | South Korea | $47.8B | 2.4% | $925 | +2.6% | — |
| 14 | Poland | $46.8B | 4.5% | $1,265 | +23.0% | Highest GDP share in NATO. |
| 15 | Spain | $40.2B | 2.1% | $835 | +50.0% | +50% YoY surge to meet NATO 2% pledge. |
| 16 | Canada | $37.5B | 1.6% | $950 | +23.0% | — |
| 17 | Australia | $35.3B | 2.0% | $1,310 | +6.5% | — |
| 18 | Turkey | $30.0B | 2.0% | $350 | +11.0% | — |
| 19 | Netherlands | $28.9B | 2.2% | $1,620 | +16.0% | — |
| 20 | Algeria | $25.4B | 8.8% | $555 | +10.0% | Regional response to Sahel instability. |
| 21 | Brazil | $22.0B | 1.0% | $100 | +5.3% | — |
| 22 | Taiwan | $19.0B | 2.3% | $795 | +15.2% | Record share as China-pressure rises. |
| 23 | Norway | $17.0B | 3.3% | $3,045 | +49.0% | +49% YoY — among the largest jumps in NATO. |
| 24 | Mexico | $17.0B | 0.9% | $130 | +1.8% | — |
| 25 | Sweden | $16.5B | 2.5% | $1,525 | +18.0% | First full year as a NATO member. |
For the full country tracker with charts and scenario comparisons, see the 2026 spending by country tracker.
Each profile is built to answer four questions: how much a state spends, what drives that spend, which institutions shape the budget, and where the money is likely to flow in practice. The emphasis is on comparability, not national storytelling.
The budget line is only the start. We read procurement mix, force posture, industrial depth, and conflict exposure together because the headline figure alone does not explain strategic capacity.
These pages are not country dossiers in the intelligence sense. They do not claim classified access, full order-of-battle certainty, or comprehensive political forecasting. Where data is thin, the page says so.
MilitarySpend treats country profiles as public-reference writing. They are updated when the source base changes, but they are not a substitute for official budget books, national audit offices, or specialist regional research.
For source handling and revision logic, see Methodology.