Global General Government Expenditures on Defence by Country

The 2024 data on global general government expenditures on defense, expressed as a percentage of GDP, highlights Israel's leading position at 5.06%, followed by the United States at 3.09%. There is a notable decrease in defense spending for countries like Israel and Greece, while Norway and Slovakia show significant increases. The year-on-year percentage variation for 2023 illustrates increases in defense budgets for some countries such as Iceland and Hungary, whereas others, including Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, experience declines. Over the past five years, varied trends such as the decline in defense spending in Ireland contrast sharply with Iceland's marked increase.

Future trends to watch include potential upticks in defense spending driven by geopolitical tensions and evolving security concerns. Particularly, countries like Norway and Slovakia could continue to increase their expenditures, while traditionally lower-spending countries may re-evaluate their defense budgets in response to global security dynamics.