Ranked: Top 15 Countries by Military Budgets in 2025

Pallavi Rao
2025-06-27 15:16:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

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Ranked: Top 15 Countries by Military Budgets in 2025

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Key Takeaways

The U.S. military budget in 2025 ($962 billion) remains the largest in the world—almost four times that of second-place China ($246 billion).
Defense spending is rising across every region, with double-digit percentage jumps in Europe and the Middle East as conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza continue to reshape security priorities.

Two ongoing wars and intensifying geopolitical risks, ranging from great-power rivalry in the Indo-Pacific to flare ups in the Middle East mean defense spending is skyrocketing this year.

This infographic ranks the 15 biggest military budgets in 2025 based on the latest figures compiled from drafts, projections, national budget releases, and recent press reporting. Check below the table in the next section for all sources used.

These figures may change by the end of the year. For example, Italy has committed to spending 2% of its GDP on defense in 2025 but it is unclear where funds will be raised or diverted from to meet this target.

Together, these 15 countries spend more than $2 trillion—roughly three-quarters of worldwide military expenditure.

Ranked: Top 15 Military Spenders by Country

The U.S. military budget proposal request weighs in at $962 billion—more than the next 10 countries combined. As a headline figure this is less than the $1 trillion originally planned for by President Donald Trump, but further appropriations may be made in separate bills.

Rank	Country	Military Budget 2025
1	U.S.	$962B
2	China	$246B
3	Russia	$150B
4	Germany	$109B
6	UK	$81B
5	India	$79B
7	Saudi Arabia	$78B
9	Japan	$55B
10	Ukraine	$54B
8	France	$47B
11	South Korea	$45B
12	Italy	$44B
13	Israel	$37B
14	Poland	$35B
15	Australia	$34B

Note: *Russia’s figure is from 2024. Sources: International Institute for Strategic Studies (U.S.), Reuters (China, Germany, Ukraine), SIPRI (Russia), EY (India), UK Parliament (UK), Breaking Defense (Saudi Arabia), Keystone Procurement (France), Defense News (Japan and Italy), NK News (South Korea), Times of Israel (Israel), Euro News (Poland), Indo-Pacific Defense Forum (Australia).

Nearly 40% of the U.S. military budget goes to personnel and healthcare costs, while procurement priorities now emphasize long-range missiles, uncrewed systems, and submarine construction over legacy fighter jets.

The large topline preserves America’s ability to project power simultaneously in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, but it has reignited debate over fiscal sustainability at home.

Europe’s Record-High Defense Outlays

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine kicked off the fastest European re-armament cycle in generations.

Germany’s combined core budget and special modernization fund push Berlin’s 2025 defense bill to roughly €100 billion ($109 billion), while the U.K. crosses £64 billion ($81 billion).

Poland, now at $35 billion, spends a NATO-leading 4% of GDP and has ordered hundreds of main-battle tanks and HIMARS launchers. These increases have helped Europe overtake East Asia as the second-highest-spending region for the first time since the Cold War.

More recently, NATO countries agreed to hit a 5% defense spending target by 2035, which will further strain resources unless they dramatically increase revenues.

Middle East & Indo-Pacific Re-Armament

Saudi Arabia ($78 billion) and Israel ($37 billion) both expanded procurement for air-defense and precision-strike capabilities amid escalating regional tensions.

In the Indo-Pacific, China’s 7.2% budget hike keeps pace with economic growth, while Japan ($55 billion) and Australia ($34 billion) accelerate long-range-strike and submarine programs designed to counter Beijing’s maritime assertiveness.

India, already the fifth-largest spender at $79 billion, plans to direct one-third of its capital budget to domestically produced systems under its “Make in India” push.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The World’s Largest Combat Tank Fleets on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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