India emerges as world’s fifth-largest military spender in 2025: SIPRI
New Delhi, April 28. India ranked as the world’s fifth-largest military spender in 2025, behind the United States, China, Russia and Germany, according to the latest assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). India accounted for 3.2 percent of global defence expenditure, reflecting its sharpened strategic focus amid heightened regional tensions.
The report noted that India’s military spending rose to $92.1 billion in 2025, marking an 8.9 percent increase over the previous year. Analysts attribute much of the surge to urgent procurement and operational preparedness measures undertaken during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
Regional pressures shape defence outlays
India’s higher allocation comes as neighbouring countries also expanded their military budgets. China, the world’s second-largest spender, increased its defence expenditure by 7.4 percent to $336 billion. Pakistan registered an 11 percent rise, taking its spending to $11.9 billion and placing it 31st globally.
Pakistan’s increased outlay has been linked to fresh defence agreements with China for aircraft and missile systems, as well as payments related to earlier contracts nearing completion after its conflict with India in May 2025.
Global military expenditure at record levels
SIPRI’s findings point to a broader global pattern, with total military spending reaching $2.89 trillion in 2025 – the 11th straight year of growth. The combined defence expenditure of the United States, China and Russia alone amounted to $1.48 trillion, accounting for over half of global spending.
A significant rise was recorded across Europe, where budgets climbed by 14 percent amid tensions linked to the Ukraine conflict. Members of the NATO in Central and Western Europe posted their sharpest increases since the Cold War.
The top five spenders – the US, China, Russia, Germany and India – together contributed $1.69 trillion, or 58 percent of global military expenditure. The global military burden reached 2.5 percent of GDP, the highest since 2009, with governments allocating an average 6.9 percent of national budgets to defence.
India’s procurement push and future plans
Despite the expansion in spending, India continues to rely substantially on defence imports, sourcing major platforms from Russia, France and Israel to address persistent security challenges along its borders with China and Pakistan.
Looking ahead, the government has signalled further strengthening of military capabilities. In the Union Budget for 2026-27, announced on February 1, defence spending was raised by 15 percent to ₹7.85 lakh crore. Of this, ₹2.19 lakh crore has been earmarked for capital acquisitions, including fighter aircraft, helicopters, naval platforms, submarines, artillery, precision weapons and unmanned systems.
