Europe is already responsible for over 21%. global defense spending (in 2022 it was 17%). In 2024–2025, spending on the continent increased by almost 13% in total. What stands out in particular, as the authors of the report emphasize, Germany, which allocated $107 billion for defense in 2025, crossing the threshold of PLN 100 billion for the first time and strengthening its position as the fourth country in the world in terms of defense spending. The average spending of European NATO members amounted to 2.16%. GDP.
In the Indo-Pacific region, growth is driven by concerns about China's military modernization. Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have significantly increased their military budgets, but China's share in regional spending exceeds 43%. and remains significantly higher than a decade ago.
What was global defense spending in 2025?
Where does Poland rank in defense spending?
How much is Germany's defense spending?
What is the average defense spending of European NATO members?
From the analysis of “The Military Balance 2026”, we learn that Saudi Arabia spends the most in the Middle East (over USD 72 billion), and Israel and Algeria are also experiencing rapid growth. At the same time, the pace of global growth was somewhat moderated by budget constraints in the US, although US spending is expected to exceed USD 1 trillion again in 2026.
Poland at the forefront
If we take a closer look at the report, it shows that the United States remains the clear leader in global defense spending – their budget is $921 billion.
The next places are taken by China ($251.3 billion) and Russia ($186.2 billion). For these two countries, values expressed in purchasing power are also given – USD 531.4 billion and USD 523.6 billion, respectively. This means that after taking into account lower labor and production costs in these countries, their budgets have much greater real strength than would result from a simple conversion at the dollar exchange rate.
In Europe, the highest expenditure is incurred by Germany ($107.3 billion), Great Britain ($94.3 billion) and France ($70 billion), mentioned earlier in the text. The ranking also includes Poland, in 15th place, with a defense budget of USD 33.2 billion.
