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.
United States
Charted: What Southeast Asia Thinks About China & the U.S.
A significant share of respondents from an ASEAN-focused survey are not happy about rising American and Chinese influence in the region.
What Southeast Asia Thinks About China & the U.S.
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
This chart visualizes the results of a 2024 survey conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Nearly 2,000 respondents were asked if they were worried or welcoming of rising Chinese and American geopolitical influence in their country.
The countries surveyed all belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic union of 10 states in Southeast Asia.
Feelings Towards China
On average, a significant share of respondents from all 10 countries are worried about rising influence from both the U.S. and China.
However, overall skepticism is higher for China, at 74% (versus 59% for U.S.).
Country | Worried About Growing 🇨🇳 Influence | Welcome Growing 🇨🇳 Influence |
---|---|---|
🇧🇳 Brunei | 58% | 42% |
🇰🇭 Cambodia | 66% | 34% |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 57% | 43% |
🇱🇦 Laos | 68% | 32% |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 56% | 44% |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | 95% | 5% |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 81% | 19% |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 74% | 26% |
🇹🇭 Thailand | 84% | 16% |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | 96% | 4% |
Average | 74% | 27% |
The recently-cooled but still active territorial concerns over the South China Sea may play a significant role in these responses, especially in countries which are also claimants over the sea.
For example, in Vietnam over 95% of respondents said they were worried about China’s growing influence.
Feelings Towards America
Conversely, rising American influence is welcomed in two countries with competing claims in the South China Sea, the Philippines (69%) and Vietnam (55%).
Country | Worried About Growing 🇺🇸 Influence | Welcome Growing 🇺🇸 Influence |
---|---|---|
🇧🇳 Brunei | 73% | 27% |
🇰🇭 Cambodia | 58% | 42% |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 73% | 27% |
🇱🇦 Laos | 79% | 21% |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 68% | 32% |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | 45% | 55% |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 32% | 69% |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 37% | 63% |
🇹🇭 Thailand | 80% | 20% |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | 45% | 55% |
Average | 59% | 41% |
Despite this, on a regional average, more respondents worry about growing American influence (59%) than they welcome it (41%).
Interestingly, it seems almost every ASEAN nation has a clear preference for one superpower over the other.
The only exception is Thailand, where those surveyed were not a fan of either option, with 84% worried about China, and 80% worried about the U.S.
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