NATO Pushes For 5% Of GDP Spending For Defence: How Many Members Are Following This?

Published 10 July 2026 · world

NATO Pushes For 5% Of GDP Spending For Defence: How Many Members Are Following This? Published By, Last Updated: July 10, 2026, 23:33 IST Among

NATO Pushes For 5% Of GDP Spending For Defence: How Many Members Are Following This? Published By, Last Updated: July 10, 2026, 23:33 IST Among major Western powers, the United States is expected to spend 3.17% of GDP on core defence in 2026. The NATO flag is pictured at the venue of the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague on June 23, 2025. (REUTERS photo) As NATO pushes its members to boost defence spending, five allies are projected to either meet or surpass the alliance’s new benchmark of spending 3.5 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on core defence in 2026, according to updated NATO figures released before the Ankara summit. At the NATO summit in The Hague last year, member states agreed to increase their core defence spending target from 2% to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.

The alliance also committed to investing an additional 1.5% of GDP in broader security-related areas, including cybersecurity, Reuters reported. Lithuania, Estonia Lead NATO Defence Push The latest estimates show that Lithuania will emerge as NATO’s biggest defence spender relative to the size of its economy, with military expenditure expected to reach 5.33% of GDP this year. While Estonia is projected to allocate 5.1% of its economic output to defence, making it the second member to cross the 5% threshold. Latvia is expected to spend 4.92% of GDP on core defence, narrowly missing the 5% mark, while Poland is projected to allocate 4.68%. Greece rounds out the top five, with defence spending estimated at 3.65% of GDP. The data highlights the growing military spending among countries located on NATO’s eastern flank, many of which have accelerated defence investments in response to regional security concerns and pressure from US President Donald Trump for allies to contribute more.

Among major Western powers, the United States is expected to spend 3.17% of GDP on core defence in 2026, followed by Germany at 2.69%, the United Kingdom at 2.56% and France at 2.22%. Overall, European NATO members and Canada are projected to spend an average of 2.53% of GDP on core defence this year. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish... Read More Location: New York, United States of America (USA) First Published: July 10, 2026, 23:33 IST News world NATO Pushes For 5% Of GDP Spending For Defence: How Many Members Are Following This?