Spain was again the last NATO ally in military spending in 2024, at 1.24%
Brussels – Spain was the NATO ally that invested the least in military spending last year with a figure of 1.24% of GDP, behind Slovenia, Luxembourg, and Belgium, and being one of the nine members of the organization that did not reach the 2% GDP threshold in Defense.
Traditionally at the bottom in military spending, Spain again found itself as the ‘red lantern’ in 2024, worsening by a few tenths the forecast of 1.28% that NATO had, according to the annual report published this Thursday by the allied Secretary General, Mark Rutte, which reviews the internal issues of the military bloc including Defense budgets.
The data from Spain contrasts with the upward trend in military investment among NATO’s European allies, who recorded an unprecedented increase of 19.4% in 2024, marking the tenth consecutive year of growth within NATO.
A total of 22 countries in the organization reached the 2% target in military spending, although there are still powers like Italy, at 1.5%, or Canada, at 1.45%, that have yet to meet the commitment made at the Wales summit in 2014.
On the opposite side, Poland with 4.07% and the Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, all above 3.11%, along with the United States, at 3.19%, were the ones that dedicated the most investment to Defense last year. Although the contributions from European allies and Canada have increased in recent years, Washington still represents 64% of military spending in the organization.
Regarding the other leg of the Wales commitment, that at least 20% of the annual budget goes to new military equipment, all NATO members except Canada, Portugal, and Belgium meet this commitment, with Spain at 30.3%.
In his presentation, Rutte precisely acknowledges that European allies and Canada have added an extra 700 billion to their Defense budgets, but it is necessary for NATO to “dramatically accelerate” these efforts in the current year. “European allies and Canada must make a qualitative leap in terms of the contributions and capabilities they provide. To do this, it will be essential to invest substantially more,” he reflects.
Reaching 2% by summer and new spending target
The updated data on military spending for 2024 comes at a time when NATO is immersed in discussions to boost Defense budgets, with the aim that at the leaders’ summit at the end of June in The Hague, all allies reach this target, before NATO leaders agree on a new investment commitment above 3% of GDP, as Rutte has warned, while the United States demands that the figure rise to 5%.
In this context, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Tuesday a package of an additional 10.471 billion euros in Defense for Spain to meet its commitment to reach 2% of GDP this same year 2025.
Thus, Spain has accelerated its previously set path, which anticipated achieving the target in 2029. In recent weeks, amid the debate on the need to increase defense spending, Sánchez indicated that it would be reached “as soon as possible.” (April 24)
