logo
Map Shows Nations Raising Military Spending As Global Tensions Escalate

Map Shows Nations Raising Military Spending As Global Tensions Escalate

Newsweek30-04-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Newsweek has created a map to show how much money countries around the world spent on defense, as global military expenditure surged to an all-time high of reaching $2.718 trillion.
This marks a 9.4 percent increase from 2023—the steepest annual rise since the end of the Cold War, according to new data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The sharpest rises occurred in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, driven largely by ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as escalating tensions in East Asia.
Why It Matters
SIPRI's findings illustrate how military investments are being reprioritized globally amid security crises. The increase marks the tenth consecutive year of growth and comes amid record inflation and stagnant humanitarian funding in many regions.
The increases raise questions about long-term economic trade-offs and the future stability of international relations, considering that more resources are being funneled toward defense at the expense of other public spending areas.
What to Know
The United States remained the dominant military power with spending of $997 billion—accounting for 37 percent of the global total and 66 percent of NATO's collective $1.506 trillion expenditure. China spent $314 billion, up seven percent from the previous year, while Russia increased its defense budget by 38 percent to $149 billion.
Germany became Europe's top military spender for the first time since reunification, reaching $88.5 billion—a 28 percent jump. Poland increased its budget by 31 percent to $38 billion. Ukraine's spending grew to $64.7 billion, 34 percent of its GDP, the highest burden globally.
Israel posted the largest proportional increase worldwide, with its military expenditure rising 65 percent to $46.5 billion in response to war in Gaza and clashes with Hezbollah. Its defense budget amounted to 8.8 percent of GDP, second only to Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia remained the top Middle Eastern spender at $80.3 billion, with modest year-on-year growth of 1.5 percent. Iran, however, saw a 10 percent decrease to $7.9 billion, constrained by international sanctions.
Among Asian nations, Japan's defense budget rose 21 percent to $55.3 billion—the largest increase since 1952. India's spending reached $86.1 billion, while Taiwan increased its defense budget to $16.5 billion.
What People Are Saying
Xiao Liang, a researcher at SIPRI said: "As governments increasingly prioritize military security, often at the expense of other budget areas, the economic and social trade-offs could have significant effects on societies for years to come."
What Happens Next
With 18 of NATO's 32 members now meeting the alliance's 2 percent GDP defense target—up from 11 in 2023—the bloc is expected to continue ramping up military investment amid strategic uncertainties and political shifts.
European NATO members alone spent $454 billion last year, spurred by concerns over Russia and potential U.S. disengagement. Meanwhile, countries like Japan, Germany, and Sweden, which joined NATO in 2024, are signaling long-term increases in military budgets.
SIPRI analysts warn that unless there is a political shift toward diplomacy and peacebuilding, the global trend of rising military spending is likely to continue into 2025 and beyond.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Houthis Defiant After Unprecedented Israeli Naval Attack
Houthis Defiant After Unprecedented Israeli Naval Attack

Newsweek

time40 minutes ago

  • Newsweek

Houthis Defiant After Unprecedented Israeli Naval Attack

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Houthis will keep carrying out military operations against Israel in support for Gaza, a spokesperson said, dismissing the impact of Tuesday's unprecedented naval attack on the Hodeida port in Yemen. Israel had previously struck only from the air. Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment. Why It Matters The port attack comes as the Yemeni Houthis have defied Israel by targeted its Ben Gurion international airport with ballistic missiles, including one last month that the Israeli missile defense systems failed to intercept, causing a brief disruption of air traffic. Israel is currently facing the Houthi threat alone after the United States signed a ceasefire agreement with the Iranian-backed rebel group, which has in the past disrupted maritime navigation through the Red Sea and whose capabilities were not neutralized despite heavy U.S. airstrikes for over a month. Houthi supporters wear Muslim pilgrims dress, known as "Ihram", as they burn American and Israeli flags during an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel weekly rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 30, 2025. Houthi supporters wear Muslim pilgrims dress, known as "Ihram", as they burn American and Israeli flags during an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel weekly rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 30, 2025. Osamah Abdulrahman/AP Photo What To Know Nasruddin Amer, Head of Houthi-controlled Saba News Agency said the recent Israeli port attack has "no significant impact" on the group's "preparations for escalation and expansion of operations deep inside the Zionist enemy entity," he wrote on his X account in a reference to Israel. "It has no impact even on the morale of our people who take to the streets weekly by the millions in support of Gaza," he added. In a separate post, Amer alleged that Israel carried a naval aggression to avoid air force defeat by the Houthis. The IDF said that the navy's operational flexibility with close range strikes had allowed it to hit targets at Hodeida port that the air force had struggled to neutralize in around 10 prior airstrikes on the Houthis since mid-2024, according to The Jerusalem Post. The Houthis have warned international vessels from carrying weapons to Israel through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab with the threat of possible attacks. The Houthis say they are acting in support of Gaza, which has been devastated by an Israeli offensive since Hamas launched an attack on Israel from there in October 2023. What People Are Saying Nasrudding Amer wrote on X: "Have the skies of Yemen become closed to American, Zionist and other aircraft?! The coming days will answer these questions and others." Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on X: "Israeli Navy Missile Ships struck terror targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in the Hudaydah Port in Yemen. These strikes were conducted in response to repeated missile and UAV attacks on Israeli territory. The Hudaydah Port is used to transfer weapons and to exploit civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities." What Happens Next The Houthis have vowed to uphold a naval blockade on Israel-linked vessels passing through the Red Sea as well as attacks targeting Ben Gurion airport, with Israel pledging to deliver a powerful response.

NATO Ally Scraps Purchase of US Black Hawk Helicopters
NATO Ally Scraps Purchase of US Black Hawk Helicopters

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

NATO Ally Scraps Purchase of US Black Hawk Helicopters

Poland has scrapped plans to buy more S-70i Black Hawk helicopters as Warsaw rethinks its strategy for fighting a battle-hardened Russia pouring massive investment into its military. Poland has become a military powerhouse, leading the NATO alliance on defense spending. The country, which is situated on NATO's eastern flank, has felt the reverberations of more than three years of war in Ukraine, repeatedly scrambling fighter jets in response to intensive Russian airstrikes on parts of western Ukraine. Warsaw has been one of Kyiv's most strident supporters. NATO officials, particularly those from country's forming NATO's eastern edge, have increasingly warned Moscow could mount an attack against the alliance in the coming years, particularly if the U.S. succeeds in brokering a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Polish military changed its "priorities" for its upcoming purchases after "intensive" analysis, said General Wiesław Kukuła, the Chief of the General Staff for the Polish armed forces. "The aim of these changes is to better adapt to the challenges of the future battlefield," Kukuła told reporters on Friday. Warsaw will prioritize training and combat helicopters, as well as multi-use helicopters able to land on ships, heavy transport helicopters for the country's land forces and search and rescue aircraft, Kukuła added. Poland may look at buying other equipment, like drones or tanks, rather than the S-70i multirole helicopter, Grzegorz Polak, a spokesperson for the Polish Armament Agency, told Reuters. The war in Ukraine has spurred on drone advancement at astonishing speeds, while both sides have still relied heavily on the use of tanks and armored vehicles. Poland's previous government said in mid-2023 it was starting the process to buy more Black Hawk helicopters from PZL Mielec, a Polish branch of Lockheed Martin. Secretary of State for Poland's Ministry of National Defense Paweł Bejda said reports that a contract for the Black Hawk helicopters had been "canceled" were false, but the country's Armament Agency had decided to "terminate the procurement process." Kukuła pointed on Friday to the Polish purchase of 32 next-generation F-35 fighter jets and tens of advanced Apache helicopters that would soon "land on Polish soil" as part of preparations for the "future battlefield." Paweł Bejda, Secretary of State for Poland's Ministry of National Defense, said during a press conference on Friday: "The geopolitical situation, the situation in the east—the war in Ukraine, what Russia is currently buying, equipping its army—and everything that our air forces are carrying out during tasks connected to the NATO system, is being analyzed." Brigadier General Artur Kuptel, the head of Poland's Armaments Agency, told the media: "The priorities we have heard about today will give light for the coming days, for the coming months, in terms of the directions of activities in the area of ​​helicopter aviation." Poland ordered nearly 100 AH-64E advanced Apache helicopters from Boeing in mid-2024, which the aerospace giant said would "strengthen Poland's operational capability and interoperability with the U.S., NATO and allied nations." Warsaw is expected to receive its first F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets from the U.S. next year. Related Articles Poland Election: Ukraine Skeptic Candidate Swings Surprise VictoryDonald Trump-Backed Candidate Wins Poland's Presidential ElectionMap Shows Countries in Europe Easiest for Americans to Get Dual CitizenshipNATO Scrambles Fighter Jets After Long-Range Russian Missile Strikes 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

Russia Setting Up to ‘Test' NATO in Baltics: German Intelligence
Russia Setting Up to ‘Test' NATO in Baltics: German Intelligence

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

Russia Setting Up to ‘Test' NATO in Baltics: German Intelligence

Russia wants to test the NATO alliance and extend its confrontation with the West beyond Ukraine, according to Germany's foreign intelligence chief. The warning by Bruno Kahl comes as NATO chief Mark Rutte said that Russia's military industrial complex was producing arms at a rate quick enough to allow Moscow ready to attack the alliance within five years. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment. NATO leaders have repeatedly said that Vladimir Putin's aggression will not stop at Ukraine, with the alliance's eastern flank members such as the Baltic states, warning of Moscow's hybrid warfare measures. Comments from Kahl and Rutte form the latest talking points about how the West can respond to the threat posed by Russia which will be discussed at the alliance's summit in The Hague later this month. Kahl said Moscow was looking at a confrontations that fell short of a full military engagement and so did not mean that Russian tank armies would roll into western territories but it could launch covert operations into the neighboring Baltic states. "It's enough to send little green men to Estonia to protect supposedly oppressed Russian minorities," he told Table Media, according to Reuters. This is a reference to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea in which Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms and civilian clothes dubbed "little green men" when Moscow initially denied their identity. Kahl said Berlin was "quite certain" that Ukraine was a stepping stone for Russia's aggression and Moscow sought to test NATO's resolve. "That doesn't mean we expect tank armies to roll westwards," he added. "But we see that NATO's collective defence promise is to be tested." Meanwhile, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte told the London think tank, Chatham House, on Monday that the military equipment Russia produces in three months what the whole of the alliance produces in a year. Rutte said Russia is expected to roll out 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles, and 200 Iskander missiles this year alone and that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years. He said that when NATO meets for its summit in The Hague this month he expected alliance members to agree to spending 5 percent of GDP on defense. That summit will take place as the transatlantic alliance faces challenges not just from Russia but amid questions over the current U.S. administration's commitment to the bloc. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) told the U.S. lawmakers this month that NATO members, even those not within range of Russian long-range fires and including the U.S.— must commit to Rutte's proposal of at least 3.5 percent of GDP on defense and another 1.5 percent on the industrial base, infrastructure protection and cybersecurity. In comments emailed to Newsweek, Montgomery's message to the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Europe was that Putin is not a misunderstood regional leader or an aggrieved actor reacting to NATO expansion but a "stone-cold killer who has launched wars of conquest." He said that if NATO is to prevail against this Russian threat, U.S. leadership, European defense investments, and collective action are required, added Montgomery, a retired U.S. rear admiral. Bruno Kahl, head of the Federal Intelligence Service: "We are quite certain, and we have intelligence showing it, that Ukraine is only a step on the journey westward." NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, to Chatham House, Monday: "Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five is no longer East or West – there is just NATO." Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD): "If NATO is to prevail against this Russian menace it will need U.S. leadership, European defense investments, and collective action to punish its adversaries." "Forward-deploying U.S. forces and equipment across Europe is essential to NATO's warfighting capacity. The answer to the challenge from Russia is not that America should do less, but rather Europe must do more." After a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels last week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there was "almost near consensus" on a 5 per cent GDP commitment of defense spending which will be discussed as the alliance meets in the Netherlands between June 24 and 26. Related Articles Russia Won't End Ukraine War Until NATO 'Pulls Out' of Baltics: MoscowUkraine's F-16 Took Down Russian Fighter Jet in 'Historic First': ReportPutin's War Machine Dealt a Double Blow by KyivPutin Approves Military Plans Through to 2050 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store