Politics
This is How Much NATO Countries Spend on Defense
This Is How Much NATO Countries Spend on Defense
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exists for the sole purpose of facilitating a political and military alliance between almost 30 countries. All are obligated to one another in times of war, but some countries have much stronger militaries and defense systems than others.
Using data from NATO, this map reveals what each NATO member country spends on its own national defense.
Note: Numbers are 2021 projections.
Biggest NATO Defense Spenders
The U.S. spends more on defense than any other NATO country.
According to the 2021 estimates, U.S. defense spending will be close to $811 billion this year. On the other hand, the defense spending of all other NATO countries combined is projected to be $363 billion, meaning the U.S. will outspend all other countries by a whopping $448 billion.
Rank | Country | Millions (USD) 2021p | Change (2014-2021) |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🇺🇸 United States | $811,140 | 24.0% |
#2 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $72,765 | 10.8% |
#3 | 🇩🇪 Germany | $64,785 | 40.3% |
#4 | 🇫🇷 France | $58,729 | 12.9% |
#5 | 🇮🇹 Italy | $29,763 | 21.5% |
#6 | 🇨🇦 Canada | $26,523 | 46.0% |
#7 | 🇪🇸 Spain | $14,875 | 17.7% |
#8 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $14,378 | 38.9% |
#9 | 🇵🇱 Poland | $13,369 | 32.3% |
#10 | 🇹🇷 Turkey | $13,057 | -3.8% |
#11 | 🇳🇴 Norway | $8,292 | 7.4% |
#12 | 🇬🇷 Greece | $8,014 | 53.1% |
#13 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | $6,503 | 25.1% |
#14 | 🇷🇴 Romania | $5,785 | 114.9% |
#15 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | $5,522 | 36.1% |
#16 | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | $4,013 | 103.2% |
#17 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | $3,975 | 32.2% |
#18 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | $2,907 | 140.3% |
#19 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | $2,043 | 104.6% |
#20 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | $1,846 | 73.6% |
#21 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | $1,278 | 198.8% |
#22 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | $1,253 | 67.7% |
#23 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | $851 | 189.9% |
#24 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | $787 | 53.2% |
#25 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | $760 | 56.0% |
#26 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | $474 | 87.4% |
#27 | 🇦🇱 Albania | $239 | 33.8% |
#28 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | $219 | 76.6% |
#29 | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | $97 | 40.0% |
NATO is based on building up forces and equipment for the goal of joint security and defense. And, despite the pandemic, many members did increase their spending in 2020.
However, not all countries contribute equally. The agreed-upon target for European NATO members, for example, is to spend 2% of GDP on defense by 2024, but many countries are not on track to meet this goal.
Who Pays for NATO Itself?
One of the key pillars of NATO is collective defense: a commitment to the idea that an act of violence against one or more of its member states is an act of aggression towards all.
Collective defense, cooperative security, and crisis management are at the heart of NATO’s purpose and operations.
Apart from defense spending, running a transcontinental political alliance costs around $3 billion annually. So which countries foot the bill for these expenses?
Country | Cost Share Arrangements (2021-2024) |
---|---|
🇺🇸 United States | 16.36% |
🇩🇪 Germany | 16.36% |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 11.29% |
🇫🇷 France | 10.50% |
🇮🇹 Italy | 8.79% |
🇨🇦 Canada | 6.88% |
🇪🇸 Spain | 6.00% |
🇹🇷 Turkey | 4.73% |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 3.45% |
🇵🇱 Poland | 2.99% |
🇧🇪 Belgium | 2.11% |
🇳🇴 Norway | 1.78% |
🇩🇰 Denmark | 1.31% |
🇷🇴 Romania | 1.23% |
🇬🇷 Greece | 1.06% |
🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 1.06% |
🇵🇹 Portugal | 1.05% |
🇭🇺 Hungary | 0.76% |
🇸🇰 Slovakia | 0.52% |
🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 0.37% |
🇭🇷 Croatia | 0.30% |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | 0.26% |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | 0.23% |
🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 0.17% |
🇱🇻 Latvia | 0.16% |
🇪🇪 Estonia | 0.12% |
🇦🇱 Albania | 0.09% |
🇮🇸 Iceland | 0.06% |
🇲🇪 Montenegro | 0.03% |
Total | 100.00% |
Members have pre-arranged mechanisms to divide NATO alliance expenses evenly.
Getting into specifics, the members are paying for:
- Civilian staff wages and overhead costs of running NATO headquarters.
- Running strategic commands, joint operations, early warning and radar systems, training, etc.
- Defense communications systems, harbors, airfields, and fuel supplies.
The Future of NATO
While outright nation-on-nation conflict is becoming more rare, threats to the collective security of NATO allies have not disappeared.
While countries may have differing opinions over the exact amount each should contribute, rising expenditures are a sign that NATO is still a priority for the near future.
Maps
Visualizing the BRICS Expansion in 4 Charts
We provide a data-driven overview of how the recent BRICS expansion will grow the group’s influence and reach.

Visualizing the BRICS Expansion in 4 Charts
BRICS is an association of five major countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Distinguished by their emerging economies, the group has sought to improve diplomatic coordination, reform global financial institutions, and ultimately serve as a counterbalance to Western hegemony.
On Aug. 24, 2023, BRICS announced that it would formally accept six new members at the start of 2024: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In this graphic, we provide a data-driven overview of how the BRICS expansion will grow the group’s influence and reach.
Share of Global GDP
Because most of the new BRICS members are considered to be developing economies, their addition to the group will not have a major impact on its overall share of GDP.
The following table includes GDP projections for 2023, courtesy of the IMF.
Original BRICS Member | Country | GDP (USD billions) | Share of Global (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Yes | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $2,081 | 2.0% |
Yes | 🇷🇺 Russia | $2,063 | 2.0% |
Yes | 🇮🇳 India | $3,737 | 3.6% |
Yes | 🇨🇳 China | $19,374 | 18.4% |
Yes | 🇿🇦 South Africa | $399 | 0.4% |
No | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $1,062 | 1.0% |
No | 🇮🇷 Iran | $368 | 0.4% |
No | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | $156 | 0.1% |
No | 🇪🇬 Egypt | $387 | 0.4% |
No | 🇦🇷 Argentina | $641 | 0.6% |
No | 🇦🇪 UAE | $499 | 0.5% |
- | BRICS Total | $30,767 | 29.3% |
- | Rest of World | $74,362 | 70.7% |
The original six BRICS members are expected to have a combined GDP of $27.6 trillion in 2023, representing 26.3% of the global total. With the new members included, expected GDP climbs slightly to $30.8 trillion, enough for a 29.3% global share.
Share of Global Population
BRICS has always represented a major chunk of global population thanks to China and India, which are the only countries with over 1 billion people.
The two biggest populations being added to BRICS are Ethiopia (126.5 million) and Egypt (112.7 million). See the following table for population data from World Population Review, which is dated as of 2023.
Original BRICS Member | Country | Population | Share of Global (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Yes | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 216,422,446 | 2.7% |
Yes | 🇷🇺 Russia | 144,444,359 | 1.8% |
Yes | 🇮🇳 India | 1,428,627,663 | 17.8% |
Yes | 🇨🇳 China | 1,425,671,352 | 17.7% |
Yes | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 60,414,495 | 0.8% |
No | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 36,947,025 | 0.5% |
No | 🇮🇷 Iran | 89,172,767 | 1.1% |
No | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 126,527,060 | 1.6% |
No | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 112,716,598 | 1.4% |
No | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 45,773,884 | 0.6% |
No | 🇦🇪 UAE | 9,516,871 | 0.1% |
- | BRICS Total | 3.7 billion | 46.0% |
- | Rest of World | 4.3 billion | 54.0% |
It’s possible that BRICS could eventually surpass 50% of global population, as many more countries have expressed their desire to join.
Share of Oil Production
Although the world is trying to move away from fossil fuels, the global oil market is still incredibly large—and BRICS is set to play a much bigger role in it. This is mostly due to the admission of Saudi Arabia, which alone accounts for 12.9% of global oil production.
Based on 2022 figures from the Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy, BRICS’ share of oil production will grow from 20.4% to 43.1%.
Original BRICS Member | Country | Thousand Barrels per Day | Share of Global (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Yes | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 3,107 | 3.3% |
Yes | 🇷🇺 Russia | 11,202 | 11.9% |
Yes | 🇮🇳 India | 737 | 0.8% |
Yes | 🇨🇳 China | 4,111 | 4.4% |
Yes | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 0 | 0.0% |
No | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 12,136 | 12.9% |
No | 🇮🇷 Iran | 3,822 | 4.1% |
No | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 0 | 0.0% |
No | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 613 | 0.7% |
No | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 706 | 0.8% |
No | 🇦🇪 UAE | 4,020 | 4.3% |
- | BRICS Total | 40,454 | 43.1% |
- | Rest of World | 53,394 | 56.9% |
It’s worth noting that China has been pushing for oil trade to be denominated in yuan, and that Saudi Arabia’s acceptance into BRICS could bolster this ambition, potentially shifting the dynamics of global oil trade.
Share of Global Exports
The last metric included in our graphic is global exports, which is based on 2022 data from the World Trade Organization. We can see that the BRICS expansion will grow the group’s share of global exports (merchandise trade) to 25.1%, up from 20.2%.
Original BRICS Member | Country | Exports (USD billions) | Share of Global (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Yes | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 334 | 1.3% |
Yes | 🇷🇺 Russia | 532 | 2.1% |
Yes | 🇮🇳 India | 453 | 1.8% |
Yes | 🇨🇳 China | 3,594 | 14.4% |
Yes | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 123 | 0.5% |
No | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 410 | 1.6% |
No | 🇮🇷 Iran | 73 | 0.3% |
No | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 3.9 | 0.02% |
No | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 49 | 0.2% |
No | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 88 | 0.4% |
No | 🇦🇪 UAE | 599 | 2.4% |
- | BRICS Total | 6,259 | 25.1% |
- | Rest of World | 18,646 | 74.9% |
Unsurprisingly, China is the world’s largest exporter. Major exporters that are not a part of BRICS include the U.S. (8.3%), Germany (6.6%), the Netherlands (3.9%), and Japan (3.0%).
Who Else Wants to Join?
According to Reuters, there are over 40 countries that have expressed interest in joining BRICS. A smaller group of 16 countries have actually applied for membership, though, and this list includes Algeria, Cuba, Indonesia, Palestine, and Vietnam.
As the group grows in size, differing opinions and priorities among its members could create tensions in the future. For example, India and China have had numerous border disputes in recent years, while Brazil’s newly elected President has sought to “kickstart a new era of relations” with the U.S.
One thing that is certain, however, is that a new acronym for the group will be needed very soon.
-
AI4 weeks ago
AI vs. Humans: Which Performs Certain Skills Better?
-
Maps2 weeks ago
Mapped: The Deadliest Earthquakes of the 21st Century
-
Countries44 mins ago
Charted: The World’s Biggest Oil Producers in 2022
-
Inequality3 weeks ago
Visualizing the World’s Growing Millionaire Population (2012-2022)
-
Energy2 weeks ago
What Electricity Sources Power the World?
-
United States3 weeks ago
Mapped: The Richest Billionaires in U.S. States
-
Markets2 weeks ago
The 25 Worst Stocks by Shareholder Wealth Losses (1926-2022)
-
China3 weeks ago
Charted: Youth Unemployment in the OECD and China