In 2024, the U.S. spent nearly $1 trillion on its defense budget, equal to 3.4% of GDP.
In contrast, NATO members in Europe and Canada spent an average of 2% of GDP on defense. While NATO’s defense budgets have declined since the Cold War, Russia’s military spending has surged by 227% since 2000, and China’s has skyrocketed by 566%.
This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, shows the top 15 largest defense budgets in 2024, based on data from the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
America’s Defense Budget Towers Over the Rest
Here are the largest defense budgets worldwide, illustrating America’s continued dominance of hard power amid unfolding geopolitical conflicts:
U.S. represents OMB adjusted figure. Russia represents National Defense budget plus military R&D funding, military pensions, paramilitary forces’ budgets, and other MoD-related expenses such as housing. Germany includes special fund allocation, military pensions, and military aid to Ukraine. UK includes Armed Forces Pension Scheme and military aid to Ukraine. Poland excludes Armed Forces Support Fund.
As the above table shows, the U.S. spends as much as the next 12 largest defense…
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