Defence spending

Who spends what on defence, what the NATO targets mean and what defence would cost without the US.

• How much would European defense cost without the US?

  Bruegel’s math: about €250 billion more a year, some €550 per European, plus 300,000 troops – and the fortune fragmentation already wastes today.

• How much does Europe spend on defence?

  EU countries spent €418 billion on defence in 2025, 2.2 % of GDP, a fifth more than in 2024. What the bill contains, how it grew and what it leaves out.

• Does Europe buy weapons together?

  European collaborative procurement was 11 % in 2025, against a 35 % benchmark set in 2007. Why the number is patchy, what fragmentation costs and what is changing.

• How much do European countries spend on defense?

  Poland spent 4.25 % of GDP on defense in 2025, the most in NATO; Albania 1.48 %. Every European ally ranked, with the 2 % and 3.5 % targets explained.

• Why does Europe have 178 weapon systems?

  Europe fielded 178 weapon-system types in 2016 against America’s 30. Where the count comes from, why it is disputed and what duplication does to an army.

• What are SAFE defense loans?

  SAFE lends EU states €150 billion for weapons they buy together. Who gets what, Poland’s €43.7 billion, the rules, the timeline to 2030 and its limits.

• Is Europe dependent on American weapons?

  58 % of European NATO arms imports came from the US in 2021–2025. What the much-quoted 78 % really measures, where the dependence bites and what the EU is changing.

• How much does the US spend on NATO?

  The US pays 14.9 % of NATO’s common budget, roughly €770 million in 2026, and nearly $1 trillion on its own forces. Both sums, and how the burden is shifting.