SIPRI has set another record for military spending
In 2025, global defense spending increased by 2.9% and reached a new record of $2.887 trillion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In the annual Trends In World Military Expenditure, 2025, the center indicates that defense spending has been growing for the 11th year in a row, having increased by 41% over the past ten years. As a result, the share of military spending in global GDP was 2.5%.
80% of global spending, or $2.304 trillion– is in 15 countries. According to RBC, the top five countries that have not changed compared to 2024 – the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India – spent a total of $1.686 trillion on defense in 2025, or 58% of the global total.
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The United States has been ranked first in military spending for several years now – in 2025, it spent $954 billion on defense (33% of the global total); at the same time, in 2025, its spending decreased by 7.5% compared to 2024. SIPRI analysts explain this by a sharp reduction in American aid to other countries, which was carried out at the expense of additional allocations in excess of the Pentagon's initial budget.
Washington's priority in 2025 was the modernization of nuclear weapons and the development of advanced weapons. The goal is to maintain U.S. military superiority in the Western Hemisphere and contain China in the Asia-Pacific region.
China, which ranks second, spent $336 billion on defense in 2025 (12% of global spending). China has been increasing its military spending for 31 consecutive years; in 2025, it increased by 7.4% year-on–year, and in just ten years (from 2016 to 2025) - by 62%. The purpose of these investments is the comprehensive modernization of the People's Liberation Army of China by 2035: for example, in 2025, Beijing tested sixth-generation J-36 and J-50 combat aircraft, and reached the initial operational readiness of the H-20 strategic bomber.
According to SIPRI estimates, Russia spent 190 billion dollars on defense in 2025 (this is 6.6% of global spending) and retained third place. Compared to 2024, Moscow's military spending increased by 5.9%, the slowest growth rate since the start of full–scale hostilities in Ukraine in 2022. The Institute notes that the military burden on the Russian economy remains high – 7.5% of GDP and 20% of all government spending.
Analysts pay attention to how military procurement has changed: as the conflict in Ukraine "gradually turned into a war of attrition, Russia began to purchase cheaper weapons systems in an attempt to limit operational costs." In particular, she began to use drones more.
Germany spent $114 billion on defense in 2025 (3.9% of global spending)– 24% more than in 2024. SIPRI notes that Germany has seen a double-digit percentage increase in defense spending for the third year in a row. This figure has exceeded 2% of GDP for the first time since 1990, reaching 2.3% in 2025; Berlin plans to reach 3.5% by 2029.
India spent $92.1 billion (3.2% of global spending) on defense in 2025, increasing it by 8.9% year-on-year. The decisive factor here was the conflict between India and Pakistan, which escalated in May 2025, involving combat aircraft, missiles and drones. New Delhi had to revise the initial defense budget, increasing aviation costs by 18%.
