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.
China
Which Countries Have the Most Economic Influence in Southeast Asia?
One country dominates this survey of who has the most economic influence in the region.
Countries With the Most Economic Influence in Southeast Asia
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 from 10 countries were asked to select which country/region they believe has the most influential economic power in Southeast Asia.
The countries surveyed are all member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic union of 10 countries in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia Perceptions: Who’s Got Economic Influence?
Across all ASEAN nations, China is regarded as the region’s most influential economic power.
Laos and Thailand had the highest share of respondents picking China, at 78% and 71% respectively. As the report points out, China is Laos’ largest foreign investor as well as its top export market.
Country | 🇨🇳 China | 🌏 ASEAN | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
---|---|---|---|
🇧🇳 Brunei | 64% | 18% | 8% |
🇰🇭 Cambodia | 60% | 11% | 20% |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 54% | 28% | 8% |
🇱🇦 Laos | 78% | 8% | 8% |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 67% | 17% | 9% |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | 60% | 7% | 20% |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 31% | 26% | 28% |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 60% | 15% | 21% |
🇹🇭 Thailand | 71% | 9% | 11% |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | 53% | 29% | 11% |
Note: Percentages are rounded.
Other ASEAN countries usually score highly as well, along with the United States.
It’s only in the Philippines, where China (31%), the U.S. (28%) and ASEAN (26%) were perceived as having a similar amount of influence.
ASEAN, Japan, and the EU
Filipinos also rated Japan’s economic influence the highest (9%) compared to those surveyed in other ASEAN countries. In 2023, the Southeast Asian bloc celebrated 50 years of friendship with Japan, marking it as one of their most important “dialogue partners.”
Country | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇪🇺 EU | 🌐 Other |
---|---|---|---|
🇧🇳 Brunei | 3% | 1% | 7% |
🇰🇭 Cambodia | 1% | 5% | 3% |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 5% | 1% | 3% |
🇱🇦 Laos | 1% | 4% | 1% |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 4% | 0% | 2% |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | 6% | 6% | 2% |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 9% | 4% | 3% |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 3% | 0% | 2% |
🇹🇭 Thailand | 3% | 4% | 4% |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | 3% | 3% | 2% |
Note: Percentages are rounded. Other countries include: Australia, South Korea, India, and the UK.
The EU also received single-percentage responses, its highest share coming from Myanmar (6%), Cambodia (5%), and Laos (4%).
Finally, the report contrasted China’s robust economic influence with concerns about its growing impact in the region. Respondents from Vietnam (88%), Myanmar (88%), and Thailand (80%) had the highest levels of concern, despite their countries’ strong trade ties with China.
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