Russia spends 7.5% of GDP on defence; most of Europe barely 2%
Original title: Military spending as a share of GDP · Our World in Data · 27 Apr 2026
Original chart: Our World in Data
So what
At 2% of GDP, Germany, France and Belgium sit far below NATO's new 3.5% core target, while Poland and the Baltics are already at 3-4.5%. Closing that gap means roughly an extra 1.5% of GDP a year across Europe - a multi-hundred-billion-euro demand shock for defence supply chains. Fiscal room for it will have to come from somewhere.
- Data sources
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
- Authors
- Our World in Data
- Source article
- Read the source article ↗
- Rights
- Third-party rights need checking. The chart is not reproduced here.
- Publisher terms
- Read Our World in Data’s terms ↗
Related perspectives
Hormuz closure cut 14% of global oil and gas supply
Oil & gasRisk & resilienceMiddle East & North Africa
Fast-moving · data as of 1 Oct 2026
Mexico sends 82% of its exports to the US; Russia under 1%
MacroeconomyRisk & resilienceNorth America
US and UK central-government debt now tops 100% of GDP
Government & public administrationRisk & resilienceWestern Europe
Data
The US sells 42% of the world's arms, four times France
Aerospace & defenceSales & channelsNorth America
What does the data say about in most countries, imports from China account for?
Our World in DataView originalImports from China are under 5% of GDP for most countries
MacroeconomyRisk & resilienceSoutheast Asia
What does the data say about europe's Most Dangerous Cities, According to Citizens?
Visual CapitalistView originalBradford tops Europe's perceived-crime index; France has seven top-30 cities
Government & public administrationRisk & resilienceWestern Europe