The United States led the ranking of the countries with the highest military spending in 2024, with 997 billion U.S. dollars dedicated to the military. That constituted almost 40 percent of the total military spending worldwide that year, which amounted to 2.7 trillion U.S. dollars. This amounted to 3.4 percent of the U.S.'s gross domestic product (GDP), placing the country lower in the ranking of military expenditure as a percentage of GDP, compared to Ukraine, Israel, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. China was the second largest military spender, with an estimated 314 billion U.S. dollars spent, with Russia following in third. Defense budgetAccording to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, the outlays for defense will rise to 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars by 2033. The largest parts of the budget are dedicated to the Departments of the Navy and the Air Force. The budget for the U.S. Air Force for 2024 was nearly 260 billion U.S. dollars.Global military spendingThe value of military spending globally has grown steadily in the past years and reached 2.7 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Reasons for this are the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, the war in Gaza, as well as increasing tensions in the South China Sea. North America is by far the leading region worldwide in terms of expenditure on the military.

In 2022, the U.S. government spent more on healthcare than any other country, at 16.6 percent of GDP. In the same year, U.S. military expenditure was 3.45 percent of GDP. This statistic shows the healthcare and military expenditure as a percentage of GDP in select countries in 2022.

The average for 2022 based on 145 countries was 1.98 percent. The highest value was in Ukraine: 33.55 percent and the lowest value was in Haiti: 0.07 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States US: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 3.149 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.222 % for 2016. United States US: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 4.864 % from Sep 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.063 % in 1967 and a record low of 2.908 % in 1999. United States US: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Military expenditures data from SIPRI are derived from the NATO definition, which includes all current and capital expenditures on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces; defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects; paramilitary forces, if these are judged to be trained and equipped for military operations; and military space activities. Such expenditures include military and civil personnel, including retirement pensions of military personnel and social services for personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; military research and development; and military aid (in the military expenditures of the donor country). Excluded are civil defense and current expenditures for previous military activities, such as for veterans' benefits, demobilization, conversion, and destruction of weapons. This definition cannot be applied for all countries, however, since that would require much more detailed information than is available about what is included in military budgets and off-budget military expenditure items. (For example, military budgets might or might not cover civil defense, reserves and auxiliary forces, police and paramilitary forces, dual-purpose forces such as military and civilian police, military grants in kind, pensions for military personnel, and social security contributions paid by one part of government to another.); ; Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Yearbook: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security.; Weighted average; Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

As a share of gross domestic product (GDP), Ukraine spent more on its military than any other country in 2024, reaching 35 percent of the country's GDP. The high figure is due to the country being invaded by Russia in February 2022. Israel, that is fighting Hamas in the Gaza war, and Algeria followed behind.Leading military spending countriesIn gross terms, the countries with the highest military spending are the United States, China, and Russia. However, these are countries with large populations and GDPs, and smaller countries usually cannot compete alone, regardless of how much they invest. For this reason, they form alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO countries aim to pool two percent of their GDP towards their own militaries and to aid each other in case of war. Regional differencesThe past decade has seen an increase in global military spending. This has not been distributed evenly. That period saw large positive changes in military spending from several Asian countries, including a large increase from China. While this does not reflect the number of active conflicts, it reflects growing tensions in global affairs.

United States US: Military Expenditure as % of General Government Expenditure data was reported at 8.807 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.042 % for 2016. United States US: Military Expenditure as % of General Government Expenditure data is updated yearly, averaging 11.141 % from Sep 2001 (Median) to 2017, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.769 % in 2011 and a record low of 8.807 % in 2017. United States US: Military Expenditure as % of General Government Expenditure data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Military expenditures data from SIPRI are derived from the NATO definition, which includes all current and capital expenditures on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces; defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects; paramilitary forces, if these are judged to be trained and equipped for military operations; and military space activities. Such expenditures include military and civil personnel, including retirement pensions of military personnel and social services for personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; military research and development; and military aid (in the military expenditures of the donor country). Excluded are civil defense and current expenditures for previous military activities, such as for veterans' benefits, demobilization, conversion, and destruction of weapons. This definition cannot be applied for all countries, however, since that would require much more detailed information than is available about what is included in military budgets and off-budget military expenditure items. (For example, military budgets might or might not cover civil defense, reserves and auxiliary forces, police and paramilitary forces, dual-purpose forces such as military and civilian police, military grants in kind, pensions for military personnel, and social security contributions paid by one part of government to another.); ; Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Yearbook: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security.; Weighted average; Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

In 2024, the military expenditure of Colombia accounted for approximately 3.36 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the highest share in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ecuador is also one of the countries in the region with the highest military budget in relation to its GDP, having spent an estimated sum comparable to 2.2 percent of its GDP on military expenditures.

The average for 2022 based on 14 countries was 65.36 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the USA: 876.94 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Costa Rica: 0 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Historical dataset showing U.S. military spending/defense budget by year from 1960 to 2023.

In 2023, the United States spent around 916.02 billion U.S. dollars on its military. U.S. military spending has been increasing in current dollar terms since 2016. Spending increased dramatically in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the first year of the war, the U.S. had contributed more than 40 billion euros worth of military aid to Ukraine. What military spending entails Military spending in the United States is the part of the national outlays of the Department of Defense. While the department has over two trillion dollars in budgetary resources, its outlays - money actually paid out - are significantly lower. This budget is designated for the four branches of the United States military, and is used for everything from salaries, trainings, development of new military technologies, and new aircraft and weaponry. The high cost of U.S. spending The United States is well known for spending more on its military than any other country. In 2023, it was estimated that per capita defense spending amounted to 2,220 U.S. dollars. While this figure is extremely high, many Americans may find it worthwhile, as a majority believe the United States to be the number one military power in the world.

In 2023, the annual military spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was the highest for Saudi Arabia at about 75.8 billion U.S. dollars. MENA military trends Saudi Arabia was ranked fifth among the top global military spenders in 2019. It is the largest military spender in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Saudi’s military spending reached its all-time high during 2015 when it was the third-largest military spender globally. Saudi Arabia was expected to increase its military spending following tension with Iran after an Iranian missile attacked Saudi’s oil industry in 2019, and with its military operations in Yemen. The MENA region had the highest average military spending as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) compared to other regions. Military spending as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia in 2019 reached eight percent. The high military burden reflects instability and conflict in the region. MENA budget deficit The military expenditure of the MENA region on average is above their fiscal capabilities as the budgets allocated to operations leave less than the required amounts for the demands of the public. The average public debt as a share of GDP of the MENA region was about 40 percent in 2018. The governments of the region have been favoring using tactics such as having a strong army to delay the involvement of the democratic wave in the governing process, over the option of changing their social approach to accommodate the needs of the public. However, the majority of the public has high confidence in the military and government institutions in the region. The military forces of countries of the MENA region are known to have a strong involvement in the economic matters of the countries such as high levels of military spending post the Arab Spring to dampen any further social mobilization or uprisings. In 2020, Yemen had the highest risk of development deficit and deprivation among conflict countries in the region, followed by Syria.

This dataset provides values for MILITARY EXPENDITURE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

United States US: Military Expenditure data was reported at 609.758 USD bn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 600.106 USD bn for 2016. United States US: Military Expenditure data is updated yearly, averaging 277.591 USD bn from Sep 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 711.338 USD bn in 2011 and a record low of 45.380 USD bn in 1960. United States US: Military Expenditure data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Military expenditures data from SIPRI are derived from the NATO definition, which includes all current and capital expenditures on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces; defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects; paramilitary forces, if these are judged to be trained and equipped for military operations; and military space activities. Such expenditures include military and civil personnel, including retirement pensions of military personnel and social services for personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; military research and development; and military aid (in the military expenditures of the donor country). Excluded are civil defense and current expenditures for previous military activities, such as for veterans' benefits, demobilization, conversion, and destruction of weapons. This definition cannot be applied for all countries, however, since that would require much more detailed information than is available about what is included in military budgets and off-budget military expenditure items. (For example, military budgets might or might not cover civil defense, reserves and auxiliary forces, police and paramilitary forces, dual-purpose forces such as military and civilian police, military grants in kind, pensions for military personnel, and social security contributions paid by one part of government to another.); ; Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Yearbook: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security.; ; Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates. For additional details please refer to the military expenditure database on the SIPRI website: https://sipri.org/databases/milex

Historical dataset showing North America military spending/defense budget by year from 1960 to 2023.

This dataset provides values for MILITARY EXPENDITURE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

In 2024, Poland's defense spending as a share of gross domestic product was **** percent, the highest of all NATO member states, followed by Estonia at **** percent, and then the United States at **** percent. It is a target of NATO that every member country should spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense. As of this year, it is estimated that all but eight of the alliance's 31 member states were meeting this target. The average expenditure on defense expenditure across all NATO member states was **** percent in 2024, compared with **** percent in the previous year. NATO, Trump, and the War in Ukraine Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shook many European powers out of a creeping complacency that had set in since the end of the Cold War. It led directly to the applications of Sweden and Finland to the alliance in 2022, with the latter joining later that year. The conflict has however also underlined how Europe's security is still underpinned by American military power, with the United States the main contributor of military aid to Ukraine. Furthermore, in overall defense spending, the U.S. spends far more than the rest of NATO combined. The current Trump administration has frequently criticized NATO states that they see as taking advantage of this discrepancy, urging other members to reach and even exceed the two percent threshold. Article 5 triggered in the aftermath of 9/11 While NATO was founded with the aim of deterring the Soviet Union in the Cold War, its central defense clause "Article 5" whereby an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, has only been triggered once; after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. NATO's involvement in the subsequent War in Afghanistan was a direct result of this, with troops supporting the operation from across the alliance. Although NATO's focus drifted towards counter-insurgency, and the threat from terrorism in this period, its original purpose has become far more important recently.

The average for 2022 based on 9 countries was 4.83 percent. The highest value was in Colombia: 9.18 percent and the lowest value was in Argentina: 1.26 percent. The indicator is available from 1988 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Historical dataset showing American Samoa military spending/defense budget by year from N/A to N/A.

The United States is, by far, the country that has the highest military spending of NATO countries, accounting for over ***** billion U.S. dollars of the combined NATO military defence spending of **** trillion dollars. By contrast, the other ** member states of NATO combined spent approximately ***** billion dollars on defence, highlighting the key position the U.S. holds in the alliance. The NATO alliance was formed in the aftermath of World War Two, with the aim of deterring Soviet Expansion into Western Europe. NATO at 75 In 2024, having lasted for 75 years, NATO is arguably the world's most successful military alliance. Since its founding in 1949, the alliance has expanded from 12 countries to 32, with the two most recent additions (Finland and Sweden) a direct consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Although to some extent, the invasion has given NATO a clear sense of purpose, it has also exposed divisions within the alliance. The most serious of these as far as NATO is concerned is the potential re-election of Donald Trump as U.S. President. A frequent critic of NATO, particularly to member states who spend a lower share of their GDP on defence, Trump's actions if re-elected will be crucial in determining the future of the alliance. NATO after the Cold War After the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the concentration of NATO’s military resources were focused elsewhere. Interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo, followed by the War in Afghanistan, saw a large rise in the defense spending of some NATO countries. In particular, defense spending by the United States rose dramatically between 2001 and 2011, rising from *** billion U.S. dollars to *** billion U.S. dollars. While the mid-2010s saw a noticeable decline in defence spending as a share of GDP, among member states, this trend was revered following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The global defense IT spending market, valued at $100.75 billion in 2025, is projected to experience robust growth, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies like AI and cloud computing within defense operations, and a rising need for enhanced cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive military data and infrastructure. The market's Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.7% from 2025 to 2033 indicates a steady expansion, with significant contributions anticipated from all segments. The software segment is expected to lead, driven by the increasing demand for sophisticated command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems, and advanced analytics platforms for improved decision-making. Hardware spending will remain substantial, fueled by the continued modernization of military equipment and infrastructure, while the application segments, particularly cybersecurity and IT infrastructure, will witness heightened investment due to growing concerns about cyber threats and the need for resilient systems. Regional growth will vary, with North America maintaining a dominant market share due to substantial defense budgets and technological advancements, followed by APAC, spurred by modernization efforts in countries like China and India. Europe will also contribute significantly, driven by defense spending increases among key nations. The competitive landscape is characterized by a mix of large established technology players and specialized defense contractors. Companies like Accenture, Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM are leveraging their expertise in cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity to cater to the evolving needs of defense organizations. Meanwhile, traditional defense contractors like BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are integrating advanced technologies into their offerings. The market presents opportunities for companies offering innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency, improve situational awareness, and strengthen cybersecurity postures. However, challenges exist, including the complexities of integrating legacy systems with new technologies, stringent regulatory requirements, and the need for robust cybersecurity measures to prevent data breaches and cyberattacks. The long-term outlook remains positive, with continued investment in defense IT likely to fuel the market's sustained expansion.