NATO Countries Not Meeting the 2% Target in 2025
In 2025, 22 of NATO's 32 members met the alliance's 2%-of-GDP defense spending target, leaving 10 — including Canada, Czech Republic and Iceland — below it.
Key takeaways
- 22 of NATO's 32 members met the 2%-of-GDP defense spending target in 2025.
- 10 members fell short: Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia and Turkey.
- Combined 2025 NATO defense spending across all 32 members totals $1,520.9bn — 55.5% of world military expenditure.
- The $1,520.9bn total is our own calculation from SIPRI country data, not a SIPRI-published figure.
Verdict
22 of NATO's 32 members met the 2%-of-GDP defense spending target in 2025, leaving 10 — Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia and Turkey — below it. The alliance's combined 2025 spending, summed across all 32 current members, was $1,520.9bn, or 55.5% of world military expenditure.
At a glance
| NATO members meeting 2% target | 22of 32 members with 2025 data |
|---|---|
| NATO members below 2% target | 10including Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland |
| NATO combined 2025 spending | $1,520.9bnsum of all 32 current members |
| Share of world military spending | 55.5%of global total, our calculation |
| NATO members covered | 32 of 32full alliance included |
In 2025, 22 of NATO's 32 member states met the alliance's target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense, according to SIPRI country-level data. The other 10 — Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia and Turkey — spent below that threshold.
01 How many NATO countries meet the 2% target in 2025?
Of the 32 current NATO members, 32 had usable spending data for 2025, and 22 of them cleared the alliance's long-standing benchmark of committing at least 2% of GDP to defense. That leaves 10 members below the line — meaning roughly two-thirds of the alliance is currently in compliance with the target, using SIPRI's constant 2024 US-dollar figures.
| Status | Members |
|---|---|
| Meeting 2% target | 22 |
| Below 2% target | 10 |
| Total members with data | 32 |
02 The 10 members below the 2% threshold
The countries that spent below 2% of GDP on defense in 2025 span a range of alliance geographies and budget sizes, from founding members to recent accessions:
- Canada — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Czech Republic — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Iceland — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Italy — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Luxembourg — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Montenegro — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- North Macedonia — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Portugal — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Slovenia — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
- Turkey — below the 2% threshold in 2025.
This is a compliance count on a single metric, not a judgment about a country's military capability, reliability or strategic posture — a member can field a capable, well-resourced force while still spending below 2% of a large GDP, and vice versa.
03 NATO's combined 2025 defense spending and world share
Summing all 32 current NATO members' 2025 outlays gives a combined total of $1,520.9bn, equal to 55.5% of world military expenditure. That share figure means NATO's $1,520.9bn total is 55.5% of the global defense-spending total it is being measured against.
Sum of all 32 current NATO members for 2025.
Our calculation from SIPRI country-level data. Not SIPRI's own published total.
04 Why the 2%-of-GDP benchmark exists
NATO's 2% guideline dates to a 2006 defense ministers' agreement and was reaffirmed as a floor — not a ceiling — at the 2014 Wales summit, where members pledged to move toward or maintain the level within a decade. It is a simple, GDP-relative measure designed to give a common yardstick for burden-sharing across economies of very different sizes, rather than a measure of a country's total capability, war-fighting readiness or the quality of its equipment. A large, high-GDP member can spend heavily in absolute dollar terms while still sitting below 2%, and a smaller member can clear 2% with a modest total budget — which is why the compliance count here is read alongside, not instead of, NATO's combined 2025 spending total.
05 Data sources and methodology notes
Figures are drawn from the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, using country-level military expenditure data in constant 2024 US dollars, covering all 32 current NATO members for 2025. Data as of April 2026. The 22-versus-10 compliance split reflects the 32 members with usable 2025 data; the alliance-wide $1,520.9bn total and 55.5% world share are calculated by summing those same 32 members' figures rather than taken from any single SIPRI-published aggregate. Figures for 2026 and 2027, where referenced elsewhere on this site, are SIPRI estimates and are flagged as such rather than treated as final outturns.
See also: NATO defense spending.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many NATO countries met the 2% defense spending target in 2025?
- 22 of NATO's 32 members met the 2%-of-GDP target in 2025, based on SIPRI country-level data in constant 2024 US dollars.
- Which NATO countries spent below 2% of GDP on defense in 2025?
- Ten members were below the threshold: Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia and Turkey.
- How much did NATO spend on defense in total in 2025?
- Summing all 32 current NATO members gives $1,520.9bn for 2025, equal to 55.5% of world military expenditure. This is our own calculation from SIPRI country data, not a SIPRI-published total.
- Why does NATO use a 2%-of-GDP spending target?
- The 2% guideline, agreed in 2006 and reaffirmed at NATO's 2014 Wales summit, is a common GDP-relative benchmark for burden-sharing across members with different-sized economies, not a direct measure of military capability.
defensebudget.org
Defense spending data, sourced from SIPRI
defensebudget.org tracks military expenditure for 160 countries using the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Pages are generated from that dataset and reviewed before publication.