Data / Rankings / Military expenditure / EU countries

EU countries by military spending as a share of GDP, 2025

Poland had the highest military spending as a share of GDP of 27 EU countries in 2025, at 4.5% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 0.2% of GDP. The median was 2% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

Highest4.5Poland
Lowest0.2Ireland
Median227 EU countries

All EU countries, 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

PolandPoland: 4.5 % of GDP4.5LatviaLatvia: 3.6 % of GDP3.6EstoniaEstonia: 3.4 % of GDP3.4DenmarkDenmark: 3.3 % of GDP3.3LithuaniaLithuania: 3.1 % of GDP3.1GreeceGreece: 3 % of GDP3FinlandFinland: 2.6 % of GDP2.6SwedenSweden: 2.5 % of GDP2.5RomaniaRomania: 2.3 % of GDP2.3GermanyGermany: 2.3 % of GDP2.3NetherlandsNetherlands: 2.2 % of GDP2.2SpainSpain: 2.1 % of GDP2.1HungaryHungary: 2 % of GDP2SlovakiaSlovakia: 2 % of GDP2FranceFrance: 2 % of GDP2CroatiaCroatia: 2 % of GDP2BelgiumBelgium: 2 % of GDP2BulgariaBulgaria: 2 % of GDP2ItalyItaly: 1.9 % of GDP1.9CzechiaCzechia: 1.8 % of GDP1.8PortugalPortugal: 1.7 % of GDP1.7CyprusCyprus: 1.6 % of GDP1.6SloveniaSlovenia: 1.5 % of GDP1.5AustriaAustria: 1.1 % of GDP1.1LuxembourgLuxembourg: 0.9 % of GDP0.9MaltaMalta: 0.4 % of GDP0.4IrelandIreland: 0.2 % of GDP0.2
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2025
% of GDP		Change on 2024
1Poland4.5+0.7 pts
2Latvia3.6+0.3 pts
3Estonia3.4+0.1 pts
4Denmark3.3+1 pts
5Lithuania3.1-0.1 pts
6Greece3+0.1 pts
7Finland2.6+0.4 pts
8Sweden2.5+0.5 pts
9Romania2.3+0.1 pts
10Germany2.3+0.4 pts
11Netherlands2.2+0.3 pts
12Spain2.1+0.7 pts
13Hungary2-0.1 pts
14Slovakia2+0.1 pts
15France20 pts
16Croatia2+0.2 pts
17Belgium2+0.7 pts
18Bulgaria2+0.1 pts
19Italy1.9+0.3 pts
20Czechia1.8-0 pts
21Portugal1.7+0.3 pts
22Cyprus1.60 pts
23Slovenia1.5+0.2 pts
24Austria1.1+0.1 pts
25Luxembourg0.9+0.2 pts
26Malta0.4+0.1 pts
27Ireland0.20 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP: current and capital spending on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces, defence ministries, paramilitary forces trained for military operations and military space activities. World Bank series from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

SIPRI definition, so values can differ from the NATO defence expenditure figures used for the 2% target.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators. Military expenditure, % of GDP (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest military spending as a share of GDP?

Poland, with 4.5% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank.

Which EU country has the lowest military spending as a share of GDP?

Ireland, with 0.2% of GDP in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Military expenditure, % of GDP (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Military expenditure: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings