Defense Spending Goals by Country for 2025

Marcus Lu
2025-06-23 10:48:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Defense Spending Goals in 2025

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Key Takeaways

This graphic compares national defense spending (% of GDP) to each country’s own publicly-stated goals
Latvia and Lithuania are the furthest from their goals (1.74 pp and 1.88 pp differential), though both are already spending more than NATO’s 2% target

In an era of shifting security landscapes, governments are under pressure to justify defense budgets.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pressed NATO allies to invest 5% of their gross domestic product in defense. “Most countries are ready to ramp up security spending even more,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said recently.

This chart highlights how 20 countries stack up against self-declared spending goals for 2025.

Data & Discussion

The data for this visualization comes from OECD Economic Outlook, Volume 2025 Issue 1. It compares each country’s 2024 defense outlay as a share of GDP against its official spending target.

Eastern Europe Faces the Largest Shortfalls

The Baltic states rank highest in spending but also show the biggest gaps to their targets. Latvia trails by 1.74 percentage points (pp) and Lithuania by 1.88 pp. Both nations already exceed NATO’s 2% benchmark as a deterrence measure. Still, they aim for 5% of GDP. According to SIPRI, regional threats continue to push these targets upward.

Country	2024 Defense Spending (% of GDP)	Goal (% of GDP)
Luxembourg	1.0	2
New Zealand	1.2	2
Belgium	1.3	2
Slovenia	1.3	2
Japan	1.4	2
Spain	1.4	2
Portugal	1.5	2
Germany	1.9	2
Netherlands	1.9	2
Czechia	1.9	3
Sweden	2.0	3.5
France	2.1	3.5
Norway	2.1	3
United Kingdom	2.3	2.5
Finland	2.3	3
Denmark	2.4	3
Lithuania	3.1	5
Latvia	3.3	5
Estonia	3.4	5
Poland	4.2	5

Western Europe Balances Budgets and Security

Several Western European countries, including Luxembourg, Belgium, and Spain, spend between 1.0% and 1.4% of GDP, below their 2% goals. Many of these governments prioritize social programs alongside defense commitments. As the World Bank reports, public spending trade-offs have kept military budgets constrained in these economies.

Major Powers Near Their Marks

The United Kingdom, France, and Germany lead among large economies, with spending at 2.3%, 2.1%, and 1.9% of GDP respectively. The UK targets 2.5%, while France and Germany aim for 3.5% and 2%.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: Countries With the Most Nuclear Missiles on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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