Top-10 Countries with the Highest Military Spending as a Share of GDP in 2025

Military spending as a share of GDP means how much money a country spends on defence compared to its total income. In 2025, many countries increased their military spending due to wars and tensions. Check the list of top-10 countries that spent the highest share of their GDP on defence.

Akansha Arora Last updated on May 27th, 2025 05:40 pm

Many countries spend a part of their income on the military to protect their borders, people and national interests. Some countries spend more time than others, especially if they face conflicts or threats. Military spending as a share of GDP shows how much of a country’s total income is used for defense. This article looks at the top-10 countries by this measure and where India stands.

Global Military Spending

Global Military spending has gone up in the last 10 years. From 2015 to 2025, it increased by 37%. According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), the world’s average military spending compared to GDP rose from 2.3% in 2023 to 2.5% in 2024. This shows that many countries are spending more money on defence due to wars, tensions and regional conflicts.

What is Military Spending as a Share of GDP?

Military spending as a share of GDP means how much money a country spends on defence compared to its total income (Gross Domestic Product). For example, if a country spends 5% of its GDP on the military, it means 5 out of every 100 rupees or dollars it earns goes to defence.

Why are Countries Spending More on Military?

There are many reasons behind the rise in military budgets:

The war between Russia and Ukraine caused both countries to spend a lot more.
Countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia increased their defence budgets because of Middle East conflicts.
Poland and other European countries are spending more because of rising tensions in Europe.

Top-10 Countries with the Highest Military Spending as a Share of GDP

In 2025, many countries increased their military spending due to wars and tensions. Here is the list of top-10 countries that spent the highest share of their GDP on defence, highlighting global security concerns:

Rank	Country	Share of GDP (%)	Spending ($B)
1.	Ukraine	34%	64.7
2.	Israel	8.80%	46.5
3.	Algeria	8%	21.8
4.	Saudi Arabia	7.30%	[80.3]
5.	Russia	[7.1%]	[149]
6.	Kuwait	4.80%	7.8
7.	Poland	4.20%	38
8.	United States	3.40%	997
9.	Colombia	3.40%	15.1
10.	Greece	3.1	8

India’s Spending on Military

In 2024, India, the world’s fifth-largest economy, spent $86.1 billion on its military, which is 2.3% of its GDP. This made India the fifth-biggest military spender globally. In comparison, Pakistan spent $10.2 billion, which is 2.7% of its GDP. The U.S. stayed the top spender with $997 billion (3.4% of GDP), while China, the second-largest spender, used $314 billion (1.7% of GDP) to grow its region power.