Global military spending reached nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, marking an 11th consecutive year of growth, researchers have said according to AFP, as insecurity and rearmament fuelled defence budgets.

The three top spenders — the United States, China and Russia — spent a combined total of $1.48tr, just over half of global expenditure.

Spending rose by 2.9 per cent compared with 2024, despite a reduction by the US, the world’s biggest spender, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato told AFP the decrease from the US was more than offset by increases in Europe and Asia, as the world marked “another year of wars and increased tensions”. Scarazzato said this was also reflected in the global “military burden” — the share of worldwide GDP devoted to military spending — which reached its highest level since 2009.

“Everything points to a world that feels less secure and is spending on its military to compensate for the global landscape,” he said.