Which NATO Countries Boosted Defense Spending The Most In 2025?

NATO’s European members and Canada increased defense spending by 20% in 2025, the group’s biggest military buildup in the last decade.

Created in partnership with Inigo, this graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Jenna Ross, shows which NATO countries increased spending the most and how much they now spend as a share of GDP.

Spending Heavyweights, Ranked by Annual Increases

Our analysis covers NATO countries that spent over $10 billion on defense in 2025.

Belgium was the country with the biggest spending jump of 58%. Once among NATO’s lowest defense spenders, Belgium has boosted its budget to meet the alliance’s current 2% of GDP target. The country’s increased spending is focused on operations, maintenance, and research and development.

Source: NATO. Figures for 2025 are estimates.

The next largest jump among big spenders was Denmark, with a 49% increase. Threats from Russia and a bid from the U.S. administration to buy READ MORE AT SOURCE »