Government Expenditure on Military Today
CURRENT TOTAL
Live Counter Notable Facts
(Data shown in the table is for 2025. Counter shows current estimate)
Daily Global Expenditure
Per Second Rate
Percent of Global GDP
Understanding Government Expenditure on Military Today
This counter tracks government expenditure on military and defense worldwide today. Global military spending represents a significant portion of public expenditure, with approximately $2 trillion spent annually, or nearly $5.5 billion each day on armed forces, equipment, operations, and research.
Military expenditure encompasses personnel costs (including salaries and benefits for active-duty military, reserves, and civilian staff), operations and maintenance, procurement of weapons systems and equipment, research and development, construction of military facilities, and veteran benefits in some countries.
Defense spending varies dramatically across countries and regions, reflecting different security environments, strategic priorities, alliance commitments, and economic capabilities. While some nations allocate over 4% of GDP to military expenditure, others spend less than 1% of their economic output on defense.
Global Military Finance
- Military spending is highly concentrated, with the top 15 countries accounting for over 80% of global defense expenditure. The United States remains the world's largest military spender, with a defense budget exceeding the combined total of the next nine countries.
- Defense budgets are increasingly focused on technological advancement, with growing investments in areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, hypersonic weapons, cyber capabilities, and space-based assets.
- Regional security dynamics drive military spending patterns, with countries often increasing defense allocations in response to perceived threats or military buildups by neighboring states, creating potential security dilemmas.
- The economic impact of military spending extends beyond security considerations, with defense expenditure supporting extensive industrial ecosystems, employment, research and development, and technological innovation with spillover effects into civilian sectors.
Defense Finance Terminology
- Military Expenditure: Government spending on current and capital goods and services for military activities
- Operations and Maintenance (O&M): Funds for day-to-day operations of military forces and maintenance of equipment
- Procurement: Acquisition of weapons systems, vehicles, and other military equipment
- Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E): Funding for developing new military technologies and capabilities
Top 5 Countries by Military Spending (2025)
- United States: $855 billion annually
- China: $325 billion annually
- India: $92 billion annually
- Russia: $85 billion annually
- United Kingdom: $75 billion annually
Military Expenditure by Category (Global Average)
- Personnel: 41% of defense spending
- Operations and Maintenance: 28% of defense spending
- Equipment Procurement: 18% of defense spending
- Research and Development: 9% of defense spending
- Infrastructure and Other: 4% of defense spending
Military Spending Trends
- Cyber Defense: Growing at 15% annually
- Space-based Systems: Growing at 12% annually
- Autonomous Systems: Growing at 10% annually
- Electronic Warfare: Growing at 9% annually
- Conventional Weapons: Growing at 2% annually
Data Sources and References
Methodology and Data Collection
Military expenditure statistics are compiled from official government defense budgets, international organizations like SIPRI and NATO, and specialized defense industry analysts that track global defense spending patterns.
Real-time estimates incorporate known defense budget allocations, historical spending patterns, and adjustments for typical disbursement schedules of major defense programs and military personnel payments.