News

The Graphic Truth: Who's spending more/less on defense?

Heat map showing percentage change in military expenditure (2021-2022), top 40 governments
Paige Fusco

Global military expenditure rose by 3.7% in 2022, according to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The rise was driven by increased spending in Europe in response to Russia's war in Ukraine and by some Asian countries, such as Japan, to counter China's growing military muscle.

Ukraine made the biggest increase by far, shelling out seven times as much as it did the year before the Russian invasion. Russia's expenditure, meanwhile, rose nearly 10%. But, oddly enough, some countries actually invested less in defense despite global geopolitical uncertainty and rising threats. This included Turkey, which is suffering an inflation-fueled economic crisis that's eating into the military budget.

We take a look at how defense expenditure changed over the past year across the top 40 biggest spenders.

More For You

US President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meet on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 26, 2025.
REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Trump hosts Brazil’s Lula at White House today, Britons go to the polls, Morocco’s young prince steps into the spotlight

Natalie Johnson

Israel’s right-wing government has overseen a record expansion of settlements in the West Bank in recent years. The settlements, which are illegal under international law, are driving the displacement of Palestinians. One proposal the government is now advancing is the controversial E1 settlement plan, which would effectively slice the West Bank in two and severely undermine Palestinian aspirations for a contiguous state.