Ukraine War Lifts World Arms Spend to $2.46 Trillion: IISS
Germany now holds the biggest defense budget in Europe and the second in NATO after the US.
Photographer: Fabian Bimmer/AFP/Getty ImagesRussia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine pushed military spending worldwide to $2.46 trillion in 2024, representing a 7.4% rise, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a new report, with Sub-Saharan Africa the only exception.
In Europe, the last decade has seen a nominal spending increase of 50%, with some stark discrepancies emerging within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the London-based research group said in the 2025 edition of its Military Balance report, published Wednesday. Some countries vastly overshoot the military alliance’s soon to be revised target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense, while others still struggle to meet it.