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Five NATO Members Hit GDP 3.5% Defense Spending Target Nearly Decade Early
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Five NATO members are projected to exceed the alliance's new 3.5% defense-spending target as early as 2026, nearly a decade ahead of the 2035 deadline, according to updated NATO figures.
The data was published on July 7, ahead of a leaders' summit in Ankara, Reuters reported on July 8.
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The five members on track to clear the 3.5% mark this year, measured against economic output, are:
Lithuania, the alliance's top spender, at 5.33% of GDP;
Estonia at 5.1%;
Latvia at 4.92%;
Poland at 4.68%;
Greece at 3.65%.
The benchmark stems from a pledge at last year's summit in The Hague, where leaders agreed to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defense—weapons and troops—by 2035, up from a previous 2% goal.
They also committed to direct a further 1.5% of GDP toward broader defense-related investment, such as cybersecurity, Reuters noted.
Alliance members have faced sustained pressure from US President Donald Trump to demonstrate they are raising defense outlays. The figures showed the United States spending an estimated 3.17% of GDP this year, Germany at 2.69%, the United Kingdom at 2.56%, and France at 2.22%.
Across European members and Canada, core defense spending is projected at 2.53%, the report added.
At the other end of the scale, three members fell short of the earlier 2% target last year: Albania at 1.48%, Slovenia at 1.57%, and the Czechia at 1.86%.
Albania and the Czechia are now expected to clear 2% this year, while Slovenia's new government plans to spend above that level. Others sit at or just above the mark, including Belgium at 2%, Portugal at 2.1%, and Italy at 2.1%, the data indicated.
The climb toward the new benchmark caps more than a year of sharp budget growth across the alliance, with European members and Canada lifting core defense investment by over $90 billion in a single year—close to a 20% jump. That acceleration has put European capitals on course to match US spending levels.
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