The Weak Links: Some NATO Allies Are Still Skimping on Military Budgets

"NATO is built on the idea of collective defense, specifically Article 5, but not every member has been pulling its weight in terms of funding. While some nations commit tens of billions to their militaries, others barely contribute a fraction of that. Recent calls by the Trump Administration have sought to rectify these spending disparities, and NATO members have responded."

"Trump has belabored this point of finance for years, but it has only recently taken hold among NATO nations. Over the summer, NATO convened a summit at The Hague, where this idea was further fleshed out. The expectation of a 5% contribution of a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) saw broad approval by the Alliance, with Eastern European nations heavily supporting this action. Note that this 5% is higher than the previously accepted 2% level."

"To determine the NATO countries with the smallest military defense budgets, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value, the more powerful a nation's theoretical conventional fighting capability is."

NATO's collective-defense framework under Article 5 coexists with wide disparities in member defense spending. Some nations commit tens of billions while others provide only fractions of that amount. Recent U.S. pressure prompted an Alliance-wide expectation that each member increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2032, a rise from the previously accepted 2% target. Eastern European members strongly supported the higher target, while some Western European powers raised concerns about budget deficits and slow economies. A 24/7 Wall St. analysis ranked NATO countries by military defense budgets using Global Firepower's 2025 Military Strength Ranking and supplemental fiscal and asset data.

Read at 24/7 Wall St.