Defense spending has grown rapidly in NATO member states, according to an annual report. Mark Rutte calls for the pace to be maintained
European NATO allies and Canada have increased their defense spending by 20% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to the annual report published by the Alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte. PHOTO: AFP
The head of the Alliance called on member states to maintain this pace of growth, stressing that at the next NATO summit in Ankara, the allies should demonstrate that they are on a trajectory “clear and credible” towards the goal of 5% of GDP for defence. Rutte insisted that the transatlantic link remains essential, in a global context marked by uncertainty.
US President Donald Trump has called on European allies to take greater responsibility for their own security. He again criticized the NATO states, saying that they did not contribute enough in the context of tensions related to Iran.
The report shows that in 2024, all allies have met or exceeded the 2% of GDP threshold originally set in 2014, and many have continued to increase their budgets. NATO leaders agreed at last year's summit for member states to reach 5 percent of GDP by 2035, with 3.5 percent for core defense and 1.5 percent for related investments such as cyber security or infrastructure.
According to estimates, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have already crossed the 3.5% threshold, while countries such as Spain, Canada and Belgium are around the 2% level.
In total, NATO's 32 member states allocated an average of 2.77 percent of GDP to defense in 2025, and the United States continued to bear the brunt of the financial effort, contributing about 60 percent of the alliance's total spending.
