Global military expenditure trends

Key Chapter Title List

1. Key Facts
2. Top Global Military Spenders in 2024
3. Military Expenditure of NATO Members
4. Regional Trends
5. Africa
6. Americas
7. Asia and Oceania
8. Europe
9. Middle East
10. Military Expenditure as a Share of GDP
11. SIPRI Military Expenditure Database: Sources and Methods
12. Definitions

Document Introduction

Against the backdrop of persistently intensifying global geopolitical tensions, world military expenditure grew for the tenth consecutive year in 2024, reaching a historic high of US$2.718 trillion. This represents a real-term increase of 9.4% from 2023, marking the steepest annual rise since 1988. The global military burden—military spending as a share of global gross domestic product (GDP)—rose to 2.5%, and per capita military spending also reached its highest level since 1990. This decade-long growth trend has been primarily driven by increased spending in Europe (fueled by the Russia-Ukraine war) and the Middle East (influenced by the Gaza war and broader regional conflicts), reflecting how conflict and great-power competition are profoundly shaping the global security landscape.

Based on the comprehensively updated SIPRI military expenditure database in April 2025, this report systematically analyzes global and regional military spending data for 2024 and examines the ten-year trend from 2015 to 2024. The report shows that the world's top five military spenders in 2024 (the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India) together accounted for 60% of total global spending. Among them, the United States remained the top spender with $997 billion, accounting for 37% of the global total; China ranked second with an estimated $314 billion. Russia's military expenditure surged by 38% in 2024 to approximately $149 billion, representing 7.1% of its GDP. Ukraine, with $64.7 billion, became the world's eighth-largest spender, with its military burden (share of GDP) reaching a global high of 34%. The report also provides a detailed analysis of the collective spending of NATO members, which totaled $1.506 trillion, accounting for 55% of the global total, with 18 member states meeting the guideline of allocating 2% of GDP to defense.

From a regional perspective, military spending increased in all geographical regions for the second consecutive year. European spending, driven by the Russia-Ukraine war, rose sharply by 17% to $693 billion. Spending in Asia and Oceania grew by 6.3% to $629 billion, with tensions in East Asia being a primary driver. Estimated spending in the Middle East increased by 15% to $243 billion, with Israel's military expenditure surging by 65% due to the conflict. Spending in the Americas grew by 5.8% to $1.1 trillion, while Africa's spending growth was relatively moderate at 3.0%. Through detailed data tables (such as Table 1: The 40 countries with the highest military expenditure in 2024; Table 2: Military expenditure in 2024 by region and subregion) and thematic analysis boxes (e.g., "Military expenditure of NATO members", "Financing military expenditure and its wider implications"), the report provides an in-depth interpretation of the spending dynamics, strategic motivations, and funding sources of major countries and regions.

The report further explores the broad socio-economic implications of how military expenditure is financed, as well as the geopolitical significance of the key indicator of military spending as a share of GDP (the military burden). In 2024, the average military burden for countries affected by armed conflict (4.4%) was significantly higher than for countries not affected by conflict (1.9%). Ukraine, Israel, and Algeria were the three countries with the highest military burdens. This analysis strictly adheres to SIPRI's open-source methodology, with definitions covering current and capital expenditure on armed forces, defense ministries, paramilitary forces, and military space activities. It aims to provide a comprehensive and transparent assessment, offering indispensable authoritative data and deep insights for policymakers, researchers, and professional readers to understand current global arms dynamics and security trends.