The world’s military budgets totaled $2.6 trillion in 2025, and the US accounted for more than a third of that.
The US has the world’s most expensive military, spending nearly $1 trillion on defense. That’s over three and a half times China’s reported defense budget, the next largest.
From spending on nuclear technology to advanced aircraft and warships, the world’s top militaries allocate hundreds of billions of dollars each year to stay ahead.
In some countries, big-ticket items such as naval assets or technologically advanced aircraft or missiles account for the bulk of military spending, while others devote large sums to maintaining large conscription troop systems.
Ultimately, military spending varies by country depending on location and interests, Gian Gentile, a retired US Army colonel and senior historian at RAND, told Business Insider. Some countries prioritize homeland defense while others value overmatch and far-reaching power projection.
“The US spends a lot on more sophisticated, extremely precise weapon systems,” he said.
A military’s budget can be measured either as a total amount or as a share of its country’s GDP, reflecting the burden on its economy. Worldwide, countries spent an average of 2.01% of their GDP on defense in 2025.
Wartime spending as a share of GDP typically rises, putting strain on the civilian economy, said Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Ukraine in 2025, for example, devoted over 20% of its GDP to its military, the highest share globally.
Spending statistics help paint a picture of defense priorities, but they don’t always translate into readiness for conflict.
“Readiness is very expensive, and perishable,” Cancian said.
A country’s on-paper investment in its defense systems doesn’t always translate directly into military capability, he added. Training and maintenance are often overlooked in analyses of spending on equipment and technologies.
A particularly high cost when it comes to technologically advanced aircraft, for instance, is maintenance and sustainment.
Still, looking at military budgets can reveal how much capital each country relies on to defend itself.
Last year, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, released its Military Balance report, which included data on nearly every country’s defense budget based on each’s reported 2025 figures.
The report includes each country’s total budget (in US dollars), per-capita figures, and defense budget as a share of GDP. Some countries, such as North Korea, Libya, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan, did not publicly report their defense budgets.
These are the 35 countries that spend the most on their military, ranked by the size of their defense budgets.
35. Vietnam
Defense budget: $8.41 billion
Defense budget per capita: $79
Percentage of GDP: 1.74%
34. Romania
Defense budget: $9.48 billion
Defense budget per capita: $527
Percentage of GDP: 2.24%
33. Pakistan
Defense budget: $10.02 billion
Defense budget per capita: $39
Percentage of GDP: 2.44%
32. Qatar
Defense budget: $10.11 billion
Defense budget per capita: $3,935
Percentage of GDP: 4.55%
31. Mexico
Defense budget: $11.36 billion
Defense budget per capita: $86
Percentage of GDP: 0.61%
30. Denmark
Defense budget: $12.18 billion
Defense budget per capita: $2,013
Percentage of GDP: 2.65%
29. Iraq
Defense budget: $12.68 billion
Defense budget per capita: $295
Percentage of GDP: 4.78%
28. Belgium
Defense budget: $13.9 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,161
Percentage of GDP: 1.94%
27. Indonesia
Defense budget: $15.08 billion
Defense budget per capita: $53
Percentage of GDP: 1.04%
26. Norway
Defense budget: $16.44 billion
Defense budget per capita: $2,966
Percentage of GDP: 3.18%
25. Sweden
Defense budget: $17.06 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,602
Percentage of GDP: 2.58%
24. Singapore
Defense budget: $17.99 billion
Defense budget per capita: $2,958
Percentage of GDP: 3.13%
23. Taiwan
Defense budget: $21.2 billion
Defense budget per capita: $898
Percentage of GDP: 2.4%
22. Turkey
Defense budget: $21.48 billion
Defense budget per capita: $254
Percentage of GDP: 1.37%
21. United Arab Emirates
Defense budget: $21.68 billion
Defense budget per capita: $2,148
Percentage of GDP: 3.81%
20. Brazil
Defense budget: $24.27 billion
Defense budget per capita: $110
Percentage of GDP: 1.08%
19. Algeria
Defense budget: $25.21 billion
Defense budget per capita: $528
Percentage of GDP: 8.75%
18. Spain
Defense budget: $28.91 billion
Defense budget per capita: $611
Percentage of GDP: 1.53%
17. The Netherlands
Defense budget: $29.12 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,633
Percentage of GDP: 2.2%
16. Canada
Defense budget: $31.21 billion
Defense budget per capita: $797
Percentage of GDP: 1.37%
15. Poland
Defense budget: $33.18 billion
Defense budget per capita: $865
Percentage of GDP: 3.19%
14. Australia
Defense budget: $37.28 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,378
Percentage of GDP: 2.04%
13. Israel
Defense budget: $39.68 billion
Defense budget per capita: $4,153
Percentage of GDP: 6.5%
12. Italy
Defense budget: $40.09 billion
Defense budget per capita: $658
Percentage of GDP: 1.58%
11. South Korea
Defense budget: $43.84 billion
Defense budget per capita: $851
Percentage of GDP: 2.36%
10. Ukraine
Defense budget: $44.44 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,217
Percentage of GDP: 21.19%
9. Japan
Defense budget: $58.91 billion
Defense budget per capita: $480
Percentage of GDP: 1.38%
8. France
Defense budget: $70 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,022
Percentage of GDP: 2.08%
7. Saudi Arabia
Defense budget: $72.53 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,951
Percentage of GDP: 5.72%
6. India
Defense budget: $78.31 billion
Defense budget per capita: $55
Percentage of GDP: 1.9%
5. United Kingdom
Defense budget: $94.26 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,371
Percentage of GDP: 2.38%
4. Germany
Defense budget: $107.31 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,277
Percentage of GDP: 2.14%
3. Russia
Defense budget: $161.18 billion
Defense budget per capita: $1,150
Percentage of GDP: 6.34%
2. China
Defense budget: $251.29 billion
Defense budget per capita: $178
Percentage of GDP: 1.3%
1. United States
Defense budget: $921.02 billion
Defense budget per capita: $2,725
Percentage of GDP: 3.01%
