All NATO countries increased their defense spending by the end of 2025 and reached the target of 2% of GDP. This was stated in the annual report of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, issued on March 26.
At the end of 2025, five countries reached the minimum requirement of 2%: Spain, Portugal, Albania, Belgium and Canada.
Poland spent the most of any NATO member in relative terms on defense in 2025 – 4.3% of GDP.
Total spending for all coalition members reached $1.4 trillion, which is 6% more than the previous year.
The goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense was set at the 2014 NATO summit, which took place several months after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. At the time, NATO members were advised to “get closer to 2% within a decade.”
In 2025, coalition members agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP in the future. This is what US President Donald Trump has demanded: he has repeatedly indicated that he is ready to withdraw the United States from the alliance if European countries do not spend more on defense.