US Defense Spending vs Other Countries, 2025
In 2025 the United States spent $929.2bn on defense, ranking 1st of 149 countries and accounting for 33.9% of global military expenditure.
Key takeaways
- The US spent $929.2bn on defense in 2025 — 1st of 149 countries and 33.9% of world military spending.
- China ranked 2nd at $335.0bn (12.2%), Russia 3rd at $158.2bn (5.8%), and Germany 4th at $106.7bn (3.9%).
- The US alone outspent China, Russia, and Germany combined ($599.9bn) by $329.3bn.
- The 33.9% world-share figure is our calculation from SIPRI country-level data. Not SIPRI's own published total.
Verdict
The United States was the world's largest military spender in 2025 at $929.2bn, ranking 1st of 149 countries and holding 33.9% of world military spending — a share calculated from summed SIPRI country data, not a SIPRI-published total. Its total exceeded the combined spending of China, Russia, and Germany, the next three largest spenders.
At a glance
| US 2025 spending | $929.2bnSIPRI, constant 2024 USD |
|---|---|
| World rank | 1 of 149 |
| World share | 33.9%Our calculation from SIPRI country-level data. Not SIPRI's own published total. |
| Next-largest spender | China, $335.0bn |
| Gap vs. next 3 combined | $329.3bnUS vs. China + Russia + Germany |
The United States spent $929.2bn on defense in 2025, more than any other country in the world. That total ranks the US 1st of 149 countries tracked and accounts for 33.9% of global military expenditure — roughly one dollar in three spent on defense worldwide.
01 How US spending compares to other countries in 2025
At $929.2bn, US defense spending in 2025 was the largest of any country on record in SIPRI's constant 2024 US dollar series, and by a wide margin. The next-largest spender, China, spent $335.0bn — meaning the US outspent the world's second-largest military budget by roughly 2.8 to 1. No other country came close to the US total: third-ranked Russia spent $158.2bn and fourth-ranked Germany spent $106.7bn, both a fraction of the US figure.
02 The 2025 peer comparison: US, China, Russia, Germany
The table below sets the US alongside the next three largest military spenders in 2025. Each country's dollar figure is SIPRI's own reported number; each share is that country's proportion of the world total.
| Rank | Country | 2025 spending | World share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $929.2bn | 33.9% |
| 2 | China | $335.0bn | 12.2% |
| 3 | Russia | $158.2bn | 5.8% |
| 4 | Germany | $106.7bn | 3.9% |
03 How the 33.9% world share is calculated
The 33.9% figure is a share of total world military expenditure, derived by summing SIPRI's country-level 2025 figures for all 149 countries in the dataset and dividing the US total into that sum. China's $335.0bn and 12.2% share follow the same method, applied to China's own total instead of the US's.
Our calculation from SIPRI country-level data. Not SIPRI's own published total. SIPRI reports spending by country; the world-share comparison is derived by summing those individual figures.
04 Why the gap between the US and the next-largest spender is so wide
The US's $929.2bn exceeds the combined spending of the next three countries on the list — China, Russia, and Germany, totaling $599.9bn — by $329.3bn. That single comparison illustrates the scale of the gap at the top of the rankings: the world's largest military budget is not just larger than any individual peer, it is larger than several of them added together. Germany's $106.7bn, for context, is equivalent to 3.9% of world spending, while the US alone holds 33.9% — nearly nine times Germany's share.
05 Where the US sits in the full 2025 world rankings
The comparison above covers only the top four spenders. The US's rank of 1st, however, holds across the full 2025 world rankings of all 149 countries with defense budget data in the SIPRI dataset. For a country-level breakdown of how the US total is built and how it has moved over time, see the United States defense budget page.
Rankings and shares here cover the 149 countries with defense spending data in SIPRI's dataset for 2025; countries without reported figures are not included in the world total or the rank count. Figures are in constant 2024 US dollars.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does the US spend on defense compared to other countries?
- The US spent $929.2bn in 2025, ranking 1st of 149 countries and accounting for 33.9% of world military spending — more than China, Russia, and Germany combined.
- How much more does the US spend than China?
- The US spent $929.2bn in 2025 versus China's $335.0bn, a difference of $594.2bn, or roughly 2.8 times China's total.
- What is the US's share of world military spending?
- 33.9% in 2025, based on our calculation summing SIPRI's country-level spending data — not a figure SIPRI publishes directly.
- Which countries are the next-largest military spenders after the US?
- China ($335.0bn, 12.2%), Russia ($158.2bn, 5.8%), and Germany ($106.7bn, 3.9%) were the next three largest spenders in 2025.
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.