Foreign Media: According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the combined defense budgets of the world's top 15 countries will exceed $2 trillion for the first time in 2025, with global military spending reaching a record high of $2.6 trillion. The United States leads with $921 billion, surpassing the combined total of China, Russia, Germany, the UK, India, Saudi Arabia, and Japan—the countries ranked second through ninth.
China ranks second with $251.3 billion, accounting for 44% of Asia's military expenditure—up from 39% in 2017. Russia comes in third with $186.2 billion, marking an increase of over $40 billion in a single year, representing 7.3% of its GDP; however, it is expected to see its first decline in 2026.
Europe is the fastest-growing region, with Germany ($107.3 billion), the UK ($94.3 billion), France ($70 billion), Italy ($40.1 billion), and Poland ($33.2 billion) all entering the top 15. NATO members in Europe have pledged to raise their defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, which would amount to approximately $1.2 trillion—marking the largest military buildup since the Cold War.
Trump has proposed increasing U.S. defense spending to $1.5 trillion by 2027. If realized, this would be about 90% higher than actual Cold War peak expenditures, though the plan has not yet been passed into law.
Original Source: toutiao.com/article/1862967495724103/
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