Lithuania ranked second with 4 percent of GDP, followed by Latvia with 3.74 percent.
NATO’s European allies and Canada increased defense spending by 20 percent in real terms compared with the previous year, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in the report, urging members to maintain the momentum.
“I expect allies at the next NATO summit in Ankara to show they are on a clear and credible path toward the 5-percent objective,” Rutte wrote, adding that “a strong transatlantic bond remains essential in an age of global uncertainty.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on NATO members to boost defence spending, arguing that European allies should take greater responsibility for the continent’s security.
Rutte said all allies last year met or exceeded NATO’s long-standing target of spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defence, first agreed in 2014, with many making significant increases.
At a summit in The Hague last year, NATO leaders approved a new target of 5 percent of GDP by 2035 amid heightened security concerns following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Under the plan, allies aim to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on core defence, such as troops and weapons, and 1.5 percent on broader defence projects such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.
Poland, Lithuania and Latvia already exceeded the 3.5-percent threshold last year, according to NATO estimates.
Several countries, including Spain, Canada and Belgium, were at around 2 percent.
Overall, the 32-member alliance spent 2.77 percent of GDP on defence in 2025, with the United States accounting for about 60 percent of total spending.
(gs)
Source: polskieradio24.pl, IAR, PAP, Reuters, nato.int