Top 10 Countries With Highest Military Expenditure

Worldwide military spending jumped to an all-time high of $2,718 billion in 2024, the highest single-year increase (9.4%) since the Cold War ended. Increased geopolitical tensions, particularly in Europe and the Middle East, have fueled across-the-board increases in defense spending. The top 10 military spenders accounted for about 73% of the world's total military expenditure in 2024. 

"The largest five military spenders—United States, China, Russia, Germany and India—made up 60 per cent of the world total, and spent a combined total of $1635 billion, says new data released today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)."

Top 10 Military Spenders in 2025

Sources: SIPRI (April 2025)

Key Facts and Insights

• United States (No.1): Represents most expenditure worldwide, outspending China by over three times. With 37% of worldwide expenditure, the U.S. maintains the highest priority for advanced military technology, nuclear capabilities, and continuing deployments globally.
• China (No.2): Raised expenditure by 7% (year-on-year) to an estimated $314 billion, its largest increase since 2015. China has the longest unbroken growth in military expenditure worldwide, now at 30 uninterrupted years.
• Russia (No.3): Secure spending jumps are associated with the war in Ukraine and increased tensions with NATO.
• Germany (No.4): Experienced a notable leap to $88.5 billion—a 28% rise, influenced in part by a change of defense policy following the invasion of Ukraine, and the biggest defence budget since reunification.
• India (No.5): Defence expenditures rose to $86.1 billion, up 1.6% from last year, driven by border tensions and modernization initiatives.
• Ukraine (No.8): Distinguished for spending an impressive 34% of GDP on defense, the highest proportion of any major economy because of its war against separatist forces.
• Saudi Arabia & Russia: Both spend big proportions of GDP on military budgets (more than 7%).
• France, UK, Japan: Have traditionally high budgets because of global obligations and upgrades.

Military Spending and Peacefulness

While the Global Peace Index (GPI) measures general peacefulness, it does not list nations by the sole criterion of military spending. High spending on the military generally does not translate into more peace: the least violent nations, including Iceland, Ireland, Austria, and New Zealand, tend to have very much smaller military budgets than countries listed above. 

ALSO READ| Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries In Europe, Check Full List Here!

On the other hand, some of the biggest spenders are currently engaged in ongoing wars or must contend with severe security issues, motivating their spending.

Trends and Regional Context

Europe & Middle East: The fastest spending growth is seen in these areas, influenced by the war in Ukraine, Middle East tensions, and emerging security doctrines in reaction to changing allegiances and competitions.

Global Military Burden: The global average military burden rose to 2.5% of GDP in 2024.

The top 10 spenders in 2024—headed by the United States, China, and Russia—set global defense agendas amidst growing chaos, with their total outlays accounting for nearly three-quarters of all worldwide military expenditures

ALSO READ| List of World’s Most Powerful Passports in 2023 | World's Strongest Passports