Poland tops NATO defence contributions with 4.2% of GDP

The Polish government is allocating more funds to defence than any other NATO country, considering their share of gross domestic product (GDP), said Poland's Minister of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, during a press briefing.

“This year is a record for us in terms of defence spending. PLN 158 billion, nearly PLN 159 billion (around $40.7 billion) – 4.2% of GDP – number one among NATO countries,” the minister stated at the conference, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The politician also added that in 2025, defence spending is projected to reach PLN 186 billion ($47.7 billion), or 4.7% of the republic’s GDP.

Notably, Estonia ranks second with a defence expenditure of 3.4%, while the US follows closely behind at 3.4%, a figure it has maintained over the past decade.

The UK is placed ninth, with a spending rate of 2.3%. Although the government has pledged to raise this to 2.5%, no specific timeline has been provided.

On average, European NATO members and Canada are estimated to spend 2.0% on defence. As a global superpower, the US has military obligations worldwide, not solely to NATO.

Meanwhile, in 2024, the US GDP matched the combined GDP of all other NATO members, and its defence spending accounted for two-thirds of NATO’s total.

Over the past decade, defence spending by European NATO members and Canada has risen steadily.

By Aghakazim Guliyev