Observatory · European Union Defence — 2025 effort · 2019–2025 data
Defence profile
Defence effort (% GDP)
≥ 3 % of GDP
2–3 % (NATO target met)
1.5–2 %
< 1.5 %
Data: EDA, NATO, SIPRI, Eurostat, European Commission · defence visualisation
🇪🇺European Union
Overview of the 27 member states
This card adds up the defence budgets of the 27 countries and presents the Union's joint effort along with its main cooperation programmes.
EDFSAFEEDIRPAASAPPESCO
Total EU budget 2025
€381 Bn
+11 % vs 2024 (€343 Bn)
Average effort · % GDP
2.1 %
NATO target 2 %
2035 target
€807 Bn
ReArm Europe trajectory
SAFE loans available
€150 Bn
+ national levers
Aggregate EU budget · 2019 → 2025
0137274411Ukraine invasion · Feb. 2022'19'20'21'22'23'24'25 381 Md€
The defence effort of the Twenty-Seven has accelerated sharply since 2022. The map colours each country according to its effort relative to GDP : click a country for details of its budget, programmes and industry.
Defence spending trend · % of GDP · EU
0,0 %0,8 %1,6 %2,4 %Ukraine invasion · Feb. 2022objectif OTAN 2 %'19'20'21'22'23'24'25 2,1 %
Major milestones in European defence
2017
Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)
25 states commit to joint capability projects.
2021
European Defence Fund (EDF)
€8 Bn (2021-2027) to finance cooperative defence research and development.
2023
Strengthening industry through joint procurement (EDIRPA) & Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP)
Support for joint acquisitions and ramping up ammunition production.
2024
Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) & European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP)
The EU's first defence industrial strategy: a target of intra-EU purchases.
2025
ReArm Europe & Security Action for Europe (SAFE)
Up to €800 Bn mobilisable; €150 Bn of SAFE loans for equipment purchases.
2035
Defence effort target
Trajectory toward ~5 % of GDP (3.5 % core + 1.5 % broader) discussed at NATO.
Towards a single defence market
Today the European defence market is fragmented : each state mostly buys at national level or from the United States (≈ 2/3 of non-EU imports), with a multitude of different, poorly interoperable systems. About 66 % of the market is produced in Europe and 34 % imported. The single defence market project aims to remove these internal barriers so that equipment, components and contracts can circulate freely among the Twenty-Seven : the goal is to pool procurement, achieve economies of scale, ensure interoperability between armed forces, and build a stronger industrial base that is less dependent on imports.
"Buy European" principle
Favour EU suppliers and production to reduce non-EU dependencies, particularly for high-end systems (F-35, Patriot, HIMARS) and decades-long maintenance.
Pooled procurement & economies of scale
Ordering the same equipment across several countries (155 mm ammunition, air defence, armoured vehicles) to cut costs, speed up deliveries and standardise materiel.
Conditionality of EU funding
SAFE loans (€150 Bn) impose a 65 % European-content rule ; EDIP and EDIS steer funding toward intra-EU purchases and industrial cooperation.
Simplifying the framework ("Defence Omnibus")
Rule simplification (June 2025) to smooth equipment transfers between member states and facilitate cross-border markets.
Consultation & Parliament vote (2026)
Public Commission consultation on market barriers (Jan.–Feb. 2026), followed by the European Parliament's adoption, on 11 March 2026, of guidelines for building a genuine single defence market.
The challenge : overcoming fragmentation (duplicated programmes, national standards, industrial preferences) which drives up costs and sustains external dependence (≈ 50–56 %), while respecting states' sovereignty over their arms choices.
Ranking of member states
CountryBudget ▼% GDP
🇩🇪 Germany95,02,1 %
🇫🇷 France62,02,1 %
🇮🇹 Italy45,32,0 %
🇵🇱 Poland41,74,5 %
🇪🇸 Spain33,12,0 %
🇳🇱 Netherlands26,12,5 %
🇸🇪 Sweden15,32,5 %
🇩🇰 Denmark13,23,2 %
🇧🇪 Belgium12,82,0 %
🇷🇴 Romania8,52,3 %
🇫🇮 Finland8,02,8 %
🇬🇷 Greece7,12,9 %
🇨🇿 Czechia6,92,0 %
🇵🇹 Portugal5,92,0 %
🇦🇹 Austria5,61,1 %
🇭🇺 Hungary4,82,2 %
🇱🇹 Lithuania3,44,0 %
🇸🇰 Slovakia2,92,0 %
🇧🇬 Bulgaria2,31,9 %
🇭🇷 Croatia1,92,0 %
🇪🇪 Estonia1,74,1 %
🇱🇻 Latvia1,53,7 %
🇸🇮 Slovenia1,42,0 %
🇮🇪 Ireland1,40,2 %
🇱🇺 Luxembourg1,32,0 %
🇨🇾 Cyprus0,61,7 %
🇲🇹 Malta0,10,4 %
Major European defence industrial groups
The main European players and their specialities.
🇫🇷🇳🇱🇩🇪Airbus
Military transport (A400M), satellites, helicopters
🇮🇹Leonardo
Helicopters, defence electronics, missiles
🇫🇷Thales
Radars, sensors, space, cyber
🇩🇪Rheinmetall
Armoured vehicles, ammunition (155 mm shells)
🇫🇷🇬🇧🇮🇹MBDA
Missiles
🇫🇷Naval Group
Submarines, frigates
🇫🇷Safran
Propulsion, optronics
🇸🇪Saab
Gripen aircraft, submarines, radars
🇫🇷🇩🇪KNDS
Tanks (Leopard, Leclerc), CAESAR guns
🇫🇷Dassault
Rafale combat aircraft

Methodology

This observatory reuses the template of the Jacques Delors Institute's energy tracker, adapted to the defence spending of the Union's 27 member states.

The map colours each country according to its defence effort relative to GDP in 2025, benchmarked against the NATO target of 2 %. Click a country for its budget, its 2019–2025 trajectory, its participation in European programmes (EDF, SAFE, EDIRPA, ASAP) and its industrial base. The filters let you isolate countries by profile (NATO, nuclear deterrence, military service, blue-water navy).

Sources: European Defence Agency, NATO, SIPRI, Eurostat, European Commission and specialised press (details in each country's Sources tab).