Swedish Peace Research Institute: Global Military Spending Reaches Record High in 2025

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released a report on its official website on the 27th, indicating that global military spending will rise to $2.887 trillion in 2025, setting a new historical high, an increase of 2.9% compared to 2024.

The report shows that in 2025, global military spending will account for 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the highest level since 2009. SIPRI military expenditure and arms projects researcher Xiao Liang stated that due to years of war, regional turmoil, and significant changes in the geopolitical landscape, many countries around the world are significantly advancing their military buildup, driving global military spending higher in 2025. He also mentioned that multiple crises are overlapping, and many countries have set long-term military spending growth targets, indicating that the trend of rising military expenditure may continue into 2026 and beyond.

It is noteworthy that the 2.9% increase in military spending for 2025 is a significant slowdown compared to the 9.7% increase in 2024, primarily due to a reduction in U.S. military spending. Excluding the United States, the total military spending increase of other countries globally last year reached 9.2%.

The report states that U.S. military spending will decrease to $954 billion in 2025, a year-on-year decline of 7.5%, mainly because the U.S. did not approve new military aid funds for Ukraine. In response, military issues expert Zhang Junsha told Global Times reporters on the 27th that although there is a slight decrease compared to the previous year, the total U.S. military spending in 2025 is still equivalent to the combined total of eight or nine countries, including China and Russia, making it the largest military spender in the world.

The report also shows that regional conflicts combined with NATO's new spending targets led to a 14% surge in European military spending last year, totaling $864 billion. Specific data indicates that the 29 NATO European member countries will have a combined military spending of $559 billion in 2025, with 22 countries having military spending accounting for 2% of GDP. SIPRI researcher Rikal believes that the military spending growth rate of NATO European member countries in 2025 will reach the highest level since 1953, partly because Europe seeks strategic autonomy, and partly due to ongoing pressure from the U.S. for allies to share defense costs.

In the Asia-Pacific region, total military spending in 2025 will reach $681 billion, an 8.1% year-on-year increase, marking the largest annual increase since 2009. Among them, Japan's defense budget will rise by 9.7% in 2025, reaching $62.2 billion, accounting for 1.4% of GDP, the highest proportion since 1958. SIPRI senior researcher Silva stated that U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific, such as Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, are all increasing defense spending, driven by both long-term regional conflicts and concerns over the uncertainty of U.S. security commitments. Similar to the situation in Europe, the U.S. government is pressuring Asia-Pacific allies to further increase defense spending.

Zhang Junsha stated that the increase in defense spending by countries like Japan and the Philippines is influenced by the U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy," with Japan's significant increase being partly in response to U.S. demands for allies to raise defense spending, and partly as an opportunity to promote "remilitarization" and so-called "normalization of the state," which has increased regional instability. (Guo Yuandan)