These are the countries with the highest military expenditures on the planet

For much of the past two weeks, the subject of military spending has been the main talking point in Washington DC. President Trump’s reluctance to follow through with support committed to Ukraine has sent shockwaves around the world and leaves Ukraine’s fate dangling precariously.

When the matter of military spending has been raised in recent months, Trump has largely stuck to the line that the United States is overpaying on defence. It is certainly true that the US has, by some distance, the biggest military spend of any nation on the planet.

But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has shifted the conversation and European countries are now spending more on proactive security measures. If Trump withdraws further from European involvement, as he has suggested that he will, we could see Europe upping spending significantly.

Which countries spend the most on their military?

Defence spending is difficult to quantify and nations are rarely incentivised to give an honest appraisal of their told spend. However the International Institute for Strategic Studies released an annual report entitled ‘The Military Balance’ which aims to quantify the expenditure.

Here’s a look at the findings of the 2025 report, reflecting military spend for 2024...

Aside from these headlines figures, there were a number of key trends identified by researchers working at the IISS. In his Editor’s Introduction, James Hackett outlined some of the reason for an increase in military spending in 2024.

He wrote: “The complexity of the international security environment was starkly evident in 2024. Countries not only deployed new capabilities but, as they invested more in defence, also considered further equipment priorities.”

Reflecting specifically on the changes in Europe, Hackett added: “In Europe, there was concern over the kind of threat Russia poses immediately and into the longer term, and recognition that defence challenges extended to disinformation and cyber activities and threats to supply chains, including through sabotage.”

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