UK is biggest defence spender in Western Europe over last 10 years by 16% – data released yesterday

Latest defence figures show how the EU needs the UK more than the UK needs the EU

Montage © Facts4EU.Org

So why is Starmer going to give in to a dozen EU demands next month to get a ‘defence pact’?

Yesterday in Stockholm the widely-respected SIPRI organisation released its annual database for defence spending in 2024. This shows conclusively how it is the UK that has been the lead country in defending Western Europe for the past 10 years – and beyond.

In inflation-adjusted terms, the United Kingdom spent a total of $672.5bn on defence in the 10 years from 2015-2024 – the 10 years after Putin’s Russia first invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. This is 16% more than Germany and 19% more than France. It is also more than double that of the EU’s third-largest defence spender, Italy.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

The UK’s defence of Europe, 10 years from 2015-2024

1. Total defence spend, constant prices in $US at 2023 levels

UNITED KINGDOM : $672.5
Germany : $580.5
France : $563.8
Italy : $331.5
Spain : $199.1
Poland : $181.9
Netherlands : $142.6
Norway : $75.1
Sweden : $70.8
Greece : $67.5
Belgium : $61.8
Switzerland : $58.1
Denmark : $56.2
Romania : $54.5
Finland : $46.0
Czechia : $42.9
Austria : $41.0
Portugal : $36.8
Hungary : $28.9
Slovakia : $20.4
Bulgaria : $15.5
Lithuania : $15.4
Croatia : $12.5
Ireland : $12.4
Estonia : $9.1
Latvia : $8.9
Slovenia : $7.0
Cyprus : $4.9
Luxembourg : $4.6
Malta : $0.8
Iceland : $0.0

Where is the UK in the World Rankings for the last 10 years?

Next we look outside Europe. Who have been the top defence spenders in the world in the last 10 years?

Out of all the countries whose defence expenditure can be determined or estimated, the UK ranks World No.6. By far the largest two countries are of course the US and China. Russia comes in at No.3 because of the enormous ramp-up in its defence expenditure since first invading Ukraine in 2014 and then again in 2022.

Only six EU countries feature in the Top 20

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

2. The UK’s defence of the World, 10 years from 2015-2024

USA : $8,738.0
China : $2,537.8
Russia : $834.7
Saudi Arabia : $768.8
India : $742.8
United Kingdom : $672.5
Germany : $580.5
France : $563.8
Korea, South : $438.2
Japan : $432.8
Italy : $331.5
Australia : $303.0
Canada : $253.7
Israel : $244.4
Brazil : $242.9
Ukraine : $214.4
Spain : $199.1
Poland : $181.9
Türkiye : $158.5
Netherlands : $142.6

Please help to keep us fighting by making a donation below
Please don't leave it to someone else - you ARE that someone else

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly

Don’t be fooled by the headlines

The upbeat headlines across Europe today will doubtless focus on the figures produced for last year, 2024. Facts4EU readers will know from our numerous reports on defence over the last 10 years, however, that defence spending in one year has very little impact on military power in that year. It takes many years for investment in defence to translate into armaments and trained manpower which can actually have an effect in any conflict. Examples include new fighter jets and aircraft carriers, which can take 20 years from design to effective deployment.

The best way of looking at this is to think of turning on a tap to refill your glass and expecting water to gush out. With a defence spend tap, you can turn it on and still be waiting for your glass to be more than half-full some 5-10 years later, or even longer on major defence projects.

Even when weapons systems are already developed such as the F35 combat aircraft that the UK has been buying from the US, these can still not be bought ‘off-the-shelf’. Modern weapons systems are now so complex it can take years to fulfil new orders.

Highly complex weapons systems require highly-trained personnel

Then there is the question of having personnel able to use such new systems. A good example of this relates to Ukraine, where old, refurbished MiGs have had to be supplied from some Eastern European countries. These might be ‘old technology’, but they are familiar to Ukrainian pilots and can therefore be deployed more quickly.

Meanwhile, the East European countries then rely on the lengthy lead times for delivery of more modern fighter aircraft.

Latest developments – defence spending in 2024 alone

For all the reasons stated above, we have focused on the picture of defence expenditure over the past 10 years. This final segment looks at the figures purely for last year, where there have been some significant increases – at long last.

Here are the figures for 2024 on its own for Western Europe.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

3. Defence expenditure in Western Europe, for 2024 only

Observations

With the UK having been the dominant country in Western Europe for defence spending this century (as the chart for the last 10 years indicates), it seems astonishing that the PM seems to feel he has to offer concessions to the EU in order to get a defence pact agreed with them. This is a total nonsense and we shall be returning to this subject again this week.

Please, please help us to carry on our vital work in defence of independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom by donating today. Thank you.

[ Sources: SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) 2024 database ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Tues 29 Apr 2025

Click here to go to our news headlines

Please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.
And don't forget actually to post your message after you have previewed it!

Something to say about this? Scroll down for reader comments

Since before the EU Referendum, Brexit Facts4EU.Org
has been the most prolific researcher and publisher of Brexit facts in the world.

Supported by MPs, MEPs, & other groups, our work has impact.

We think facts matter. Please donate today, so that we can continue to ensure a clean Brexit is finally delivered.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT : You can write your comment under any existing comments below. After you have clicked to preview your comment, you MUST then click on the CAPTCHA system and send you comment, for it to be published. Thank you!

Reader Comments 12

1. Ashley Great Britain , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 09:16:

Of course the EU needs our defence capabilities more than we need theirs.
We have been a provider to the EU for a very long time.
Keir Starmer has no right to lock us down with EU defence control, especially as we will give up so much for very little gain.
It's the same with our historic EU relationship that we give far to much.
On leaving the EU, so far we haven't actually left, as we are still involved and signed up to the majority of their union.
Labour need to stop their covert rejoin plans.

2. KB , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 09:25:

There are very nearly as many civilian civil servants in the MoD as there are soldiers in the army.
This will be included in our "defence spend".
The Greek army is bigger than ours.

3. KB , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 09:29:

I believe the enthusiasm for joining the EU defence pact is because we think we will benefit from selling armaments to EU countries on an equal basis.
Suspect it won't work out though !

4. NH , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 10:33:

2. KB
I am not a military expert but it seems that not everybody agrees with your comments on the UK's relative defence capability. The GFP claims to produce the "leading global defence review" on an annual basis by analysing 60 different defence factors. For 2025 they claim the UK has the 6th strongest national defence capability in the world. France is in 7th place, Germany is in14th place and Greece is in 30th place. The Netherlands, where the head of NATO comes from, is in 36th place.
.
Greece has had border tensions for many years so it has a large army but most of these are reservists. They have just given their full time armed forces their first pay rise in 14 years so it does not seem to be a strongly funded military.

5. KB , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 12:20:

NH (4) MoD headcount 01 Apr 2024 = 63,702 an increase of 1.7%
Army 01 Apr 2025 = 73,847 a decrease of 2.4% on previous year.
The comment on Greece was somewhat rhetorical. I was saying that even Greece has a bigger army than us, but I do realise they are not comparable on equal terms.
Suspect the ranking at #6 is weighted because we are a nuclear power. But really, we can never use that nuclear capability, we need a comparison based on conventional assets.

6. LuxuryBalloon , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 12:56:

It is not a like-for-like comparison: the UK also needs to defend its overseas territories (our Empire). The UK military provides security for places like the Falklands, Gibraltar, Bermuda, our sovereign military bases on Cyprus, the Turks & Caicos Islands, the South Sandwich Islands, Saint Helena, the British Indian Ocean Territory, Ascension, the British Antarctic Territory and Pitcairn.
A country like Germany only has to defend Germany (and we had 53,000 British soldiers occupying parts of Germany until the 1990’s).

7. NH , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 13:23:

5.KB
As I stress I am not an expert on defence but I seem to be seeing completely different figures to you. My understanding is the UK presently has 185,000 active personnel and reserve personnel of over 900,000. According to the House of Commons the nuclear deterrent was expensive to purchase but the cost of maintaining it is only £3 Billion per year or less than 6% of the defence budget. I don't agree that we can never use the nuclear capability. I agree with military experts who say it is used every day because it's a deterrent. In my view the major purpose of defence is to deter aggression so we don't have to engage in war.
.
I agree that not all military spending is spent efficiently but the analysis, by independent experts, seem very detailed and I see no reason to doubt their conclusions.

8. KB , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 14:05:

NH (7) My figure was for the Army only, and not including reservists.
There are 30 to 31 thousand in each of the RN and Airforce, again not including reserve.
So total service personnel around136,000.
I agree about the nuclear deterrent it is essential to stand up to the likes of Putin. But it will never be actually used.
I very much doubt that military spending is efficient anywhere, but the UK seems to be particularly bad (64,000 MoD staff ?). I find this idea of spending X% of GDP on defence a strange idea, surely we should be specifying how many personnel and how much weaponry can be brought to bear.

9. Gazzablack , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 16:44:

6, LB
.
Britain dismantled it's Empire long ago.

10. Sparky , Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 20:05:

Are these like for like comparisons. Ben Bradshaw recently highlighted on QT how the Cons boosted spending by including tax receipts and Labour increased spending by including money provided to Ukraine.
.
1 AGB. If anything kicks off with Russia it’s clear that any involvement by USA can’t be relied on in which case we need to stand with European allies.

12 comments, page 1 of 2

Add comment:

Please note: Your email address is never published unless you choose to enter it.