Ukraine ranks seventh in world for military spending

Ukraine's military spending increased by 20% in 2025 to US$84.1 billion – the highest level in the country's history and the seventh-largest figure globally.

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Details: Ukraine's spending in 2025 amounted to 40% of its GDP.

Total global defence spending in 2025 rose by 2.9% to US$2.887 trillion. In comparison, spending grew by 9.7% in 2024.

This slowdown in growth is primarily linked to a reduction in US military spending. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, the United States allocated a total of US$127 billion to support Ukraine. In 2025, these expenditures stopped, leading to a 7.5% decrease in US defence spending to US$954 billion.

However, SIPRI experts believe this decline is temporary: the US budget for 2026 envisages spending to exceed US$1 trillion, and it could rise to US$1.5 trillion in 2027.

Iran also reduced its spending due to economic difficulties, while Israel cut expenditure following the de-escalation in Gaza. Meanwhile, Asian countries such as China, Taiwan and Japan significantly increased their military spending.

Military expenditure in Europe rose by 14% in 2025, reaching US$864 billion. Russia, in particular, increased its spending by 5.9% to US$190 billion, which accounts for about 7.5% of its GDP.

Combined military spending by European NATO countries reached US$559 billion, with 22 out of 29 members allocating more than 2% of their GDP to defence. Germany's spending rose by 24% to US$114 billion, while Spain's increased by 50% to US$40.2 billion.

This marks the fastest growth in military spending among European NATO countries since 1953.

Background: Ukraine's defence needs for 2026 are estimated at at least US$120 billion, of which only half can be financed from the state budget.

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