Overview
- The SIPRI report, released Monday, puts 2025 global military outlays at about $2.89 trillion, a 2.9% real increase and the eleventh straight yearly rise.
- Europe drove the jump with a 14% rise to $864 billion, the biggest annual gain in Central and Western Europe since the Cold War, while Asia–Oceania grew 8.1% to $681 billion.
- U.S. spending fell 7.5% to $954 billion after no new military aid to Ukraine in 2025, and SIPRI notes Congress has approved more than $1 trillion for 2026 with proposals that could lift 2027 higher.
- Notable moves included Spain’s 50% jump to about $40.2 billion that pushed it just over 2% of GDP and Germany’s 24% rise to roughly $114 billion, while China reached an estimated $336 billion after a 7.4% increase.
- Russia’s budget rose 5.9% to about $190 billion as Ukraine lifted its outlays 20% to $84.1 billion, a burden near 40% of its economy.