US Military Spending History: $929.2bn in 2025
US military spending stood at $929.2bn in 2025, 7.5% below the prior year and still short of its 2010 peak of $1,061.7bn.
Key takeaways
- US military spending was $929.2bn in 2025, down 7.5% from $1,004.9bn in 2024.
- The all-time peak was $1,061.7bn in 2010; 2025 spending remains $132.5bn below that level.
- The US ranks #1 globally, accounting for 33.911% of world military spending.
- US defense spending equaled 3.12% of US GDP in 2025.
- Over the 2015-2025 stretch, spending rose from $838.9bn to $929.2bn, with a 10-year CAGR of 1.03% and a 5-year CAGR of -0.3%.
Verdict
US military spending came to $929.2bn in 2025, 7.5% below 2024 and still $132.5bn short of the 2010 peak of $1,061.7bn. The US remains the top-ranked spender globally, accounting for 33.911% of world military spending.
At a glance
| 2025 spending | $929.2bnSIPRI constant 2024 USD |
|---|---|
| YoY change | -7.5%vs. 2024's $1,004.9bn |
| All-time peak | $1,061.7bn2010 |
| World rank | #133.911% of world total |
| Share of GDP | 3.12%2025 |
| 10-year CAGR | 1.03%2015-2025 |
The United States spent $929.2bn on defense in 2025, measured in SIPRI constant 2024 US dollars. That figure is 7.5% below 2024's $1,004.9bn and remains short of the country's all-time peak of $1,061.7bn, reached in 2010.
01 US Military Spending in 2025: The Headline Number
At $929.2bn, the United States is the largest single military spender in the SIPRI dataset for 2025, ranked #1 globally. That total equals 33.911% of world military expenditure, meaning the US alone accounts for more than a third of everything spent on defense worldwide.
All figures are expressed in SIPRI constant 2024 US dollars, which strip out inflation and exchange-rate movement so spending is comparable across years.
02 Historical Trend, 2015-2025
US defense spending has moved in a wide band over the past decade. It stood at $838.9bn in 2015, climbed to $943.4bn by 2020, and pushed close to its historic peak with $1,004.9bn in 2024 before falling back to $929.2bn in 2025.
| Year | US Military Spending |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $838.9bn |
| 2020 | $943.4bn |
| 2024 | $1,004.9bn |
| 2025 | $929.2bn |
Over the five years to 2025, spending contracted at a compound annual rate of -0.3%. Over the ten years to 2025, it grew at a compound annual rate of 1.03% — a modest long-run rise that masks the sharper single-year drop of 7.5% between 2024 and 2025.
03 The 2010 Peak and the Post-Peak Drawdown
The high-water mark for US defense spending in this dataset is $1,061.7bn, reached in 2010. Every year since has come in below that level, including 2025's $929.2bn, which sits $132.5bn short of the 2010 peak.
The 2024 figure of $1,004.9bn came the closest of the years tracked here to closing that gap, before the 2025 pullback widened it again. The result is a spending path that has oscillated below its 2010 ceiling for a decade and a half rather than moving in one direction.
04 Spending as a Share of GDP and of World Military Spending
US defense spending in 2025 equaled 3.12% of US gross domestic product. On the global side, the $929.2bn total equaled 33.911% of world military expenditure for 2025.
This share is calculated by aggregating SIPRI's country-level military expenditure entries across all countries with reported 2025 data (CALC_ATTRIBUTION); countries without a reported 2025 figure are excluded from the total the share is measured against.
Read together, the GDP share and the world share describe two different things: 3.12% measures the weight of defense spending inside the US economy, while 33.911% measures the weight of US spending inside global defense spending. The US ranks first on the latter measure by a wide margin, a data-determined position rather than a judgment about capability or intent. For a fuller profile of US defense spending, see United States defense budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much did the US spend on defense in 2025?
- $929.2bn, in SIPRI constant 2024 US dollars — a 7.5% decline from 2024's $1,004.9bn.
- When was US military spending at its highest?
- 2010, at $1,061.7bn. Spending has stayed below that peak in every year since, including 2025's $929.2bn.
- What share of world military spending does the US account for?
- 33.911% in 2025, calculated by aggregating SIPRI's country-level military expenditure data across all countries with reported 2025 figures.
- What percentage of US GDP goes to defense spending?
- 3.12% 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.