India became the 5th largest military spender in the world

Updated: 01 May 2026

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India became the 5th largest military spender in the world

According to the "Trends in World Military Expenditure" report released by arms-tracking group SIPRI, India was the 5th largest military spender in the world in 2025.

The country increased its military expenditure by 8.9%, taking it to $92.1 billion.

According to the report, the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025 - in which fighter aircraft, drones and missiles were used - led to an increase in India’s military spending that year. India was also ranked fifth in the ranking released last year (for 2024).

In 2025, the top five military spenders were the United States, China, Russia, Germany and India; together they accounted for 58% of the world’s total military expenditure, which amounted to $1,686 billion.

In 2025, total global military expenditure increased to $2,887 billion; it was the 11th consecutive year of increase in such spending.

Key findings of the "Trends in World Military Expenditure" report

According to SIPRI’s annual "Trends in World Military Expenditure" report, "Pakistan’s military spending increased by 11% in 2025 to $11.9 billion. Pakistan ranked 31st among the 40 countries tracked by SIPRI.

China, the second-largest military spender in the world, increased its military expenditure by 7.4% to $336 billion.

This marked the 31st consecutive year of increase, as China continued its military modernization drive.

With $954 billion, the United States’ military spending in 2025 was 7.5% lower compared to 2024.

The main reason for this decline was that no new financial military assistance for Ukraine was approved this year. This was in contrast to the previous three years, when a total of $127 billion in assistance had been approved.

SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) is an independent international institute dedicated to research in the fields of conflict, arms control and disarmament. It was established in 1966 in Stockholm (Sweden).