India’s military expenditure rose sharply in 2025, increasing by 8.9 per cent to USD 92.1 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). This made India the fifth largest military spender globally.

The rise was attributed to the India–Pakistan conflict in May 2025, which involved combat aircraft, drones and missiles, and drove up defence allocations during the year.

Globally, military spending reached USD 2887 billion in 2025, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth. The five biggest spenders—the United States, China, Russia, Germany and India—together accounted for 58 per cent of world military expenditure, totalling USD 1686 billion.

Pakistan’s military spending also rose by 11 per cent to USD 11.9 billion, driven by new orders for aircraft and missiles from China following the May conflict, alongside payments for earlier procurement contracts.

The global military burden, defined as the share of GDP devoted to military expenditure, increased from 2.4 per cent in 2024 to 2.5 per cent in 2025, its highest level since 2009.

Average military expenditure as a share of government spending stood at 6.9 per cent, slightly down from 7.0 per cent in 2024. Per capita military spending worldwide reached USD 352 in 2025.

Regional trends varied. West Asia saw only marginal growth despite ongoing conflicts. Military spending in the United States declined by 7.5 per cent to USD 954 billion, largely due to the absence of new financial military assistance for Ukraine, in contrast to the USD 127 billion approved over the previous three years.

Europe, however, recorded a 14 per cent increase to USD 864 billion, the sharpest annual growth in Central and Western Europe since the Cold War, driven by rearmament efforts among NATO members and continued spending by Russia and Ukraine in the fourth year of their war.

Asia and Oceania registered an 8.1 per cent rise in military expenditure, totalling USD 681 billion—the largest annual increase since 2009. China, the world’s second largest military spender, raised its defence budget by 7.4 per cent to USD 336 billion, marking its 31st consecutive annual increase.

SIPRI noted that China’s renewed campaign against corruption in military procurement did not appear to constrain spending.

The report concluded that global military spending surged by almost 3 per cent in 2025, fuelled by heightened defence expenditures in Europe and Asia. It highlighted that states responded to wars, uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval with large-scale armament drives, pushing the global military burden to levels not seen in over a decade.

ANI