Türkiye's military spending increased by 7.2% in 2025, according to a report by a conflict think tank on Monday that also showed global expenditure hit a new all-time high, driven by wars and geopolitical tensions.
Türkiye's expenditure reached $30 billion to make it the 18th biggest spender in the world, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said.
The figure accounted for 1.9% of Türkiye's gross domestic product (GDP), and the 2025 growth rate lifted the increase over the past decade to 94%.
The report showed global military spending rose by 2.9% compared with 2024 to nearly $2.9 trillion, marking an 11th consecutive year of growth.
That came despite a 7.5% reduction by the U.S., the world's biggest spender, as President Donald Trump halted new financial military aid to Ukraine.
The 2025 total brought the growth over the past decade to 41% and took spending as a share of GDP to 2.5% – its highest level since 2009.
The top three military spenders, the U.S., China and Russia, accounted for a combined $1.48 trillion, or 51% of global spending.
The main contributor to higher global spending was a 14% rise in Europe to $864 billion.
In total, 22 European NATO members met the 2% of GDP benchmark. Their combined spending reached $559 billion to rise faster than at any time since 1953, according to SIPRI.
The expenditure of all the 32 NATO members amounted to almost $1.6 trillion in 2025, or 55% of spending globally.
In Türkiye, the overall increase was mainly driven by the country's continuous investments in its domestic arms industry, SIPRI said.
Allocations to the special fund to support the Turkish arms industry rose by 25% year-over-year and accounted for 22% of Türkiye's total expenditure in 2025, according to the report.
Türkiye has injected billions of dollars over the past two decades to transform it from a nation heavily reliant on equipment from abroad to one that is a major exporter and where homegrown systems now meet almost all of its defense industry needs.
For much of the past two decades, Ankara has expressed frustration over its Western allies' failure to provide adequate defense systems against missile threats despite Türkiye being a NATO member.
Türkiye's defense exports sealed a record 2025, rising about 48% year-over-year to more than $10 billion. The goal for 2028 is to lift the full-year figure to $11 billion, placing Türkiye among the world's top 10 biggest defense exporters, according to officials.
Despite persistent tensions in the Middle East, military expenditure in the region rose only marginally, by 0.1%, to $218 billion, SIPRI said.
In Asia and Oceania, spending reached $681 billion, an 8.5% increase from 2024, the region's largest annual increase since 2009.
Total military spending in Africa increased by 8.5% in 2025 to reach $58.2 billion, SIPRI said.
