During a summit in The Hague last year, NATO leaders committed to increasing their defense spending goal to 3.5% of GDP for essential defense components, such as weapons and troops, by 2035, up from a prior aim of 2%.
They also consented to invest an additional 1.5% of GDP on wider defense-related initiatives, including enhancing cybersecurity.
Alliance members have been under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to show that they are enhancing their defense expenditure.
Data released on Tuesday identified Lithuania as the top NATO spender in relation to its economic output, with an estimated core defense expenditure of 5.33% of GDP for this year.
Estonia followed closely (5.1%), then Latvia (4.92%), Poland (4.68%), and Greece (3.65%).
The report indicated that last year, three NATO countries—Albania (1.48%), Slovenia (1.57%), and the Czech Republic (1.86%)—failed to meet the previous 2% target.
However, it also highlighted that Albania and the Czech Republic are projected to exceed 2% this year, with remarks that Slovenia’s new government aims to surpass the 2% mark.
Additionally, a few others are projected to be at or a bit over 2%, including Belgium (2%), Portugal (2.1%), and Italy (2.1%).
The United States is estimated to spend 3.17%, while Germany’s spending stands at 2.69%, the United Kingdom at 2.56%, and France at 2.22%, according to the forecasts.
In total, European NATO members and Canada are expected to allocate 2.53% of GDP this year for core defense.
