New Delhi: India was the fifth biggest military spender globally in 2025, with its military expenditure increasing by 8.9% to $92.1 billion, according to a report released by the arms watchdog group Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) on Monday.
The India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, which involved the use of combat aircraft, drones, and missiles, pushed up India's military spending during the year, the report stated.
Pakistan's military spending grew by 11% to $11.9 billion in 2025. The increase was largely due to new orders for aircraft and missiles placed with China in 2025 following the armed conflict with India in May, as well as payments for earlier procurement contracts nearing completion, according to Sipri's annual "Trends in World Military Expenditure" report.
China, the world's second largest military spender, increased its military spending by 7.4% to $336 billion. This marked the 31st consecutive year-on-year increase as China continued its military modernisation drive. "A renewed campaign against corruption in military procurement does not appear to have constrained spending," the report said.
At $954 billion, military spending by the United States was 7.5% lower in 2025 than in 2024. The drop was primarily because no new financial military assistance for Ukraine was approved during the year. This was in sharp contrast to the previous three years, when a total of $127 billion was approved.
The five biggest spenders in 2025 were the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India, together accounting for 58% of world military spending, at a total of $1,686 billion. Global military expenditure reached $2,887 billion in 2025, the 11th consecutive year of growth.
