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.
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).
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
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.
Credit: Visual Capitalist
