appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Seong Hyeon Choi

Military spending in the Asia-Pacific rose at the fastest pace for 16 years in 2025 as US allies felt “growing uncertainty” over whether Washington would honour its security commitments, according to a new report.
Total global spending reached US$2.89 trillion, an increase of 2.9 per cent from 2024, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank said in its annual report on military expenditure published Monday.
That marked the 11th consecutive year of increases and brought the global military burden to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest since 2009.
The top three military spenders – the United States, mainland China and Russia – spent a combined total of US$1.48 trillion, just over half of the global total.
However, the global expansion in 2025 was slower than the 9.7 per cent figure recorded the year before, mostly due to a decline in US spending.
SIPRI said the 7.5 per cent drop to US$954 billion was caused by Washington not approving any new military aid for Ukraine.
“In 2025, the US continued to prioritise investment in its nuclear modernisation and advanced conventional weapon programmes in order to maintain US military dominance in the western hemisphere and deter China,” the SIPRI report said.
In the world outside the US, spending grew by 9.2 per cent.
Military expenditure in Asia and Oceania – from which SIPRI excludes the Middle East – totalled US$681 billion and rose 8.1 per cent, the largest year-on-year rise since 2009.
Mainland China spent US$336 billion, 7.4 per cent more than in the previous year and marking the 31st consecutive year-on-year increase.


“China’s spending supports the [People’s Liberation Army’s] goal of completing a comprehensive modernisation of its forces across all military domains by 2035,” the report said.
But Beijing was outpaced by other militaries in the region, with Japan recording a 9.7 per cent increase, reaching a total of US$62.2 billion. That was equivalent to 1.4 per cent of GDP – the highest share since 1958.
According to SIPRI, Tokyo is implementing a military build-up plan it launched in 2022 that is driven by “perceived security concerns related to China and North Korea”.
Taiwan’s military spending rose by 14 per cent to US$18.2 billion in 2025, the largest year-on-year increase since at least 1988. The report said this reflected an “intensification in the operational complexity and scope of [Chinese] military drills around the island in 2025”.


Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
“US allies in Asia and Oceania such as Australia, Japan and the Philippines are spending more on their militaries, not only due to long-standing regional tensions but also due to growing uncertainty over US support,” said Diego Lopes da Silva, senior researcher with the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.
“As in Europe, US allies in Asia and Oceania are also under pressure from the [US President Donald] Trump administration to spend more on their militaries.”
The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy, released in December, urged Washington’s allies in East and Southeast Asia to spend more on collective defence to deter “aggression” in the first island chain and to build up capacity to “deny any attempt to seize Taiwan”.
Europe was the main contributor to the global increase in military spending in 2025, with a 14 per cent rise to US$864 billion – the highest level of European spending ever recorded by SIPRI.
Spending by Russia and Ukraine – the third and seventh largest spenders in the world – continued to grow in the fourth year of their war, with the foes chalking up 5.9 and 20 per cent increases, respectively.
Spending in central and western Europe expanded at the fastest rate since the end of the Cold War, as Trump pushed his Nato allies to share more of the burden of collective defence. The region’s expenditure hit US$559 billion in 2025, with 22 of the European member states hitting at least 2 per cent of GDP.


Bruised by Trump, Nato alliance considers end to annual summits

Japan’s Takaichi faces women-led backlash over constitution reform push, arms build-up

Russia honours North Korean soldiers in award ceremony for troops who fought against Ukraine

North Korea’s Kim vows continued support for Russia at memorial for fallen troops

Defence

Trump factor drives up Asia-Pacific military spending at fastest pace since 2009

China was one of the biggest spenders along with the US and Russia. Photo: Xinhua

Trump seeks US$1.5 trillion for defence in new budget request amid Iran war

US President Donald Trump announces the US Navy’s “Golden Fleet” battleship programme at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2025. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

The Trump administration’s proposed flagship “Golden Dome” missile defence shield. Photo: Lockheed Martin

China keeps defence budget growth steady as modernisation deadline looms

China’s spending on defence will increase by about 7 per cent this year. Photo: Xinhua

Trump wants US$1.5 trillion for ‘dream US military’. Will China boost spending too?

US President Donald Trump says his administration’s tariffs on other countries will help fund his proposed increase in defence spending. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Marines disembark from a US Navy landing craft during amphibious operations in Arroyo, Puerto Rico, on December 9. Photo: Reuters

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, on December 1.Photo: US Navy via AFP

Taiwan’s defence ministry slams TPP’s ‘unworkable’ military spending plan

Taiwan’s military conducts a live-fire drill with US-made Himars on May 12 in Pingtung county, Taiwan. Photo: EPA-EFE 

News

China

Military

Expenditures rose to US$681 billion, as some nations worried that Washington might not be a reliable security partner


Expenditures rose to US$681 billion, as some nations worried that Washington might not be a reliable security partner.


Trump factor drives up Asia-Pacific military spending at fastest pace since 2009

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Expenditures rose to US$681 billion, as some nations worried that Washington might not be a reliable security partner

Expenditures rose to US$681 billion, as some nations worried that Washington might not be a reliable security partner