The 2% of GDP threshold for military spending is not met by many European NATO member countries as of mid-2023.
This was reported on the website of the German platform Statista, specializing in global, market and consumer data.
NATO members — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — they also plan to build bunkers on the border with the Russian Federation.
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As of July 1, 2023, the number of NATO countries reaching or exceeding the 2% spending level was only 11 of the 30 members with armed forces.
Military spending relative to GDP increased significantly in 2023 compared to 2022 in Romania and Hungary.
Which NATO countries devote 2% of GDP to defense
According to this list, it is clear that Eastern European countries are more susceptible to military threats.
But it is also clear that the larger and richer members of NATO did not reach the 2% target. These include Germany (1.57%), Canada (1.38%), Italy (1.46%) and Spain (1.26%).
Croatia and France previously maintained a 2% threshold, but in 2023 funding levels fell to 1.79% and 1.90% respectively.
The closest to reaching the threshold of 2% of GDP were the new NATO members — Montenegro and North Macedonia with an indicator of 1.87% of GDP. They are followed by Bulgaria (1.84%), Albania (1.76%), the Netherlands (1.70%).
According to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO is currently undergoing the largest reorganization of its collective defense and deterrence system since the Cold War.
The concept that NATO countries should spend 2% of their GDP on defense was adopted in 2014, and by 2024 members of the military bloc should exceed it.
45th US President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has previously stated that the US will not defend European NATO allies from Russian attack unless they spend enough on their own defense.
And Trump also said that “would encourage” Russia to attack NATO allies who are not meeting their financial defense obligations.
