The latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) revealed on Monday that the world spent nearly $2.9 trillion on military expenses in 2025, marking an eleventh consecutive year of growth amid multiple conflicts.
The increase was 2.9% in one year, despite a decrease in US military spending. In total, the three main contributors – the United States, China, and Russia – accounted for over half of the total, at $1.48 trillion.
“A new year marked by wars” – the “military burden” or the share of the world’s GDP dedicated to military spending – is the highest since 2009. “Everything indicates that the world feels less secure and believes more in its armed forces to face the global context,” noted Sipri researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato.
The United States spent $954 billion, 7.5% less than in 2024, mainly because no new military aid to Ukraine was approved, unlike the previous three years when a total of $127 billion was promised.
This decrease is expected to be short-lived as the US Congress approved over $1 trillion in military spending for 2026, which could rise to $1.5 trillion in 2027 if Donald Trump’s budget proposal is adopted.
While tensions persisted in the Middle East, military spending in the region only marginally increased by 0.1%, reaching $218 billion. Most countries in the region increased their spending, but Israel and Iran actually reduced theirs.
In Asia, military spending totaled $681 billion, an 8.5% increase from 2024 – the highest annual increase since 2009. China, considered the main actor in the region, spent around $336 billion in 2025, with other countries like South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan responding to perceived threats.
Japan increased its military spending by 9.7% to reach $62.2 billion in 2025, the highest share of GDP since 1958, while Taiwan increased its spending by 14% to $18.2 billion.
