SIPRI Says Global Military Spending Reaches Nearly $2.9 Trillion in 2025

Global military spending rose for the 11th consecutive year in 2025, reaching nearly $2.9 trillion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) as reported by CNN and DW.

“Global military expenditure climbed to $2”

Bharatshakti

CNN said European defense spending jumped 14% from 2024 to $864 billion, while Asia-Oceania increased 8.1% to $681 billion, in SIPRI’s annual “Trends in World Military Expenditure” report.

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DW described the global total as $2.887 trillion (€2.47 trillion) and called it the highest level of military spending ever recorded.

The Straits Times similarly put global spending at nearly US$2.9 trillion in 2025 and said the year marked an 11th consecutive year of growth, linking it to “insecurity and rearmament.”

Across the reporting, SIPRI’s “military burden” was described as reaching its highest level since 2009, with CNN saying the figure represented 2.5% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The same SIPRI data also placed the United States, China, Russia, Germany and India among the biggest spenders, collectively accounting for 58% of the global sum in CNN’s account.

In Europe specifically, CNN said “In 2025 military spending by European NATO members rose faster than at any time since 1953,” tying the shift to “European self-reliance” and “burden sharing” pressure within NATO.

SIPRI’s Europe-driven increase was repeatedly tied to the war in Ukraine and to changes in US engagement with Europe, with multiple outlets quoting SIPRI researchers.

The Straits Times said the “main driver of the global increase was Europe – including Russia and Ukraine – where spending surged 14 per cent to US$864 billion,” and it attributed that to “the ongoing war in Ukraine” and “the decreased US engagement with Europe.”

CNBC

In CNN’s account, SIPRI said the year-on-year increase in total spend was a drop from 9.7% in 2024, “largely due to the United States approving no new spending to help arm Ukraine in 2025,” while also noting that “When the US is taken out of the statistics, global spending on defense rose 9.2% in 2025.”

DW described the same dynamic in different terms, saying the global rise was driven by Europe where spending rose by 14% to $864 billion and that “Russia's full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 has changed how European countries see their own security.”

CNN also quoted SIPRI researcher Jade Guiberteau Ricard saying European NATO members’ spending rose faster than at any time since 1953, “reflecting the ongoing pursuit of European self-reliance alongside increasing pressure from the United States to strengthen burden sharing within the alliance.”

The CNBC report similarly framed Europe as the “main driver of the increase in global spending,” with spending rising 14% to $864 billion, and it described the increase as reflecting a longstanding demand of US President Donald Trump.

In the same CNN piece, NATO countries with big increases included Belgium (59%), Spain (50%), Norway (49%), Denmark (46%), Germany (24%), Poland (23%) and Canada (23%), giving a country-by-country picture of how the Europe surge manifested.

Germany’s rearmament push stood out in the SIPRI figures, with outlets describing both the size of the increase and the policy mechanisms used to fund it.

“Global military spending surged by almost 3% in 2025, fueled largely by ballooning defense expenditures in Europe and Asia, according to a report released Monday by a respected arms watchdog group”

CNN

CNN said Germany’s total military spending of $114 billion ranked it No. 4 worldwide, and it reported that Germany’s spending rose 24% in 2025.

The Straits Times said Germany raised expenditure by 24% in 2025 to US$114 billion, and it added that Spain recorded a 50% jump to US$40.2 billion, pushing military spending above 2% of GDP for the first time since 1994.

DW provided more detail on Germany’s funding approach, saying “For the first time since 1990, German military spending passed the NATO benchmark of 2% of GDP, reaching 2.3%,” and it linked the change to Germany’s parliament altering fiscal rules in 2025.

DW quoted SIPRI researcher Xiao Liang saying, “I don't think that Germany's military capability is rising as fast as the spending figure suggests,” while also adding, “But I think in the long term, Germany is becoming more powerful and more independent militarily.”

CNBC also described Germany’s shift in terms of the NATO guideline, saying Berlin’s military burden exceeded NATO’s 2% guideline for the first time since 1990, reaching 2.3% in 2025.

The same CNBC report stated that Spain’s military spending jumped 50% to $40.2 billion, bringing its defense burden above 2% of GDP for the first time since the NATO spending target was agreed in 1994.

While Europe’s spending accelerated, SIPRI’s data also showed a US decline that helped explain why the global growth rate slowed compared with 2024.

CNN said the year-on-year increase in total spend was a drop from the 9.7% increase recorded in 2024, and it attributed that to the United States approving no new spending to help arm Ukraine in 2025, while also stating that “When the US is taken out of the statistics, global spending on defense rose 9.2% in 2025.”

Daily Sabah

The Straits Times similarly said the US spent $954 billion, “7.5 per cent less than in 2024,” largely because “no new financial military aid to Ukraine was approved,” and it added that the decrease was expected to be short-lived because US Congress approved “over US$1 trillion for 2026.”

DW echoed the US role in the slowdown, saying “The US spent less on its military — just $954 billion in 2025. That's 7.5% less than the year before,” and it described the main reason as Congress approving no new military aid for Ukraine.

CNBC framed the same point as a “U.S. pullback,” saying Europe’s rearmament push drove global defense outlays to $2.89 trillion despite the US reduction, and it stated that the increase was fueled by “another year of wars, uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval with large-scale armament drives.”

In DW’s account, SIPRI researcher Xiao Liang said, “This trend will probably continue through 2026 and beyond,” and he linked that to ongoing crises including Ukraine and Gaza.

The Straits Times also quoted Lorenzo Scarazzato saying the world marked “another year of wars and increased tensions,” and it described the global “military burden” as reaching its highest level since 2009.

SIPRI’s projections and commentary in the reporting point to continued defense spending increases beyond 2025, with Europe’s momentum tied to ongoing wars and geopolitical uncertainty.

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DW said, “With all these crises still ongoing, and many countries' long‑term spending plans already locked in, this trend will probably continue through 2026 and beyond,” attributing the view to Xiao Liang.

DW

CNBC similarly described the global rise as driven by “another year of wars, uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval with large-scale armament drives,” and it noted that the US Pentagon requested about $1.5 trillion for fiscal 2027, which it said would mark the largest request in history.

In Europe, CNBC reported that the European Union outlined plans to mobilize up to 800 billion euros ($883 billion) by 2030 to bolster regional security, and it connected the spending boom to defense stock rallies including Rheinmetall climbing 154% and ThyssenKrupp gaining 215% in 2025.

The Straits Times also said the global increase reflected a world that “feels less secure,” quoting Lorenzo Scarazzato: “Everything points to a world that feels less secure and is spending on its military to compensate for the global landscape.”

In CNN’s account, SIPRI researcher Diego Lopes da Silva said US allies in Asia and Oceania such as Australia, Japan and the Philippines are spending more “due to long-standing regional tensions” and “growing uncertainty over US support,” reinforcing that Europe’s rise sits within a broader pattern of allied rearmament.

While the Europe-focused reporting centers on NATO members, it also ties back to the war in Ukraine, with CNN saying Ukraine is in its fourth year fighting against a Russian invasion and that Ukraine’s military spending is estimated at 40% of GDP.