India was the fifth-largest military spender globally in 2025, increasing its defence budget by 8.9 per cent to USD 92.1 billion, according to a report released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Global military expenditure rose to USD 2.887 trillion in 2025, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth. The five biggest spenders—the United States, China, Russia, Germany and India—accounted collectively for 58 per cent of total global military spending, amounting to USD 1.686 trillion, the SIPRI data showed.
The report noted that the brief India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, involving combat aircraft, drones and missiles, contributed to increased defence spending in the region. Pakistan’s military expenditure rose 11 per cent to USD 11.9 billion, driven largely by new arms orders from China following the conflict, alongside payments linked to earlier procurement contracts.
Globally, the military burden—the share of GDP devoted to defence—rose from 2.4 per cent in 2024 to 2.5 per cent in 2025, the highest level since 2009. Average military spending accounted for 6.9 per cent of government expenditure, slightly lower than the previous year, while per capita global spending reached USD 352.
Regional trends showed sharp contrasts. Europe recorded a 14 per cent rise in military spending to USD 864 billion, the steepest annual increase since the end of the Cold War, driven by ongoing rearmament among NATO members and continued conflict in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine both increased defence outlays as the war entered its fourth year.
In contrast, US military spending fell 7.5 per cent to USD 954 billion in 2025. SIPRI attributed the decline largely to the absence of new financial military aid packages for Ukraine, unlike the previous three years when such assistance totalled USD 127 billion.
Asia and Oceania saw an 8.1 per cent rise in military expenditure to USD 681 billion, the fastest growth since 2009. China, the world’s second-largest defence spender, increased its military budget by 7.4 per cent to USD 336 billion, continuing a 31-year streak of annual increases as part of its long-term military modernisation drive. SIPRI noted that an ongoing anti-corruption campaign in military procurement had not curbed overall spending.
West Asia, meanwhile, recorded only marginal growth despite persistent regional conflicts and tensions.
Overall, global military spending rose by nearly 3 per cent in 2025, driven primarily by increased defence investments in Europe and Asia amid sustained geopolitical instability and multiple active conflicts, SIPRI said.
(With inputs from ANI)