New Delhi: India will become the world’s fifth-largest military spender by 2025, with the country’s military spending set to rise 8.9 per cent to $92.1 billion, according to a report released by arms watchdog group Sipri on Monday.The report stated that the conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025 involved the use of fighter jets, drones and missiles, pushing up India’s military expenditure that year.According to Sipri’s annual “World Military Spending Trends” report, “Pakistan’s military spending will grow by 11% to $11.9 billion in 2025. This increase is mainly due to new aircraft and missiles ordered from China in 2025 following the armed conflict with India in May, and the payment of early procurement contracts is about to be completed.”China is the world’s second largest military spender, with military spending increasing by 7.4% to $336 billion. This is the 31st consecutive year-on-year increase as China continues to promote military modernization.“The renewed anti-corruption campaign in military procurement does not appear to be limiting spending,” the report said.U.S. military spending in 2025 will be $954 billion, a decrease of 7.5% from 2024. The decline was primarily due to the fact that no new financial military aid to Ukraine was approved during the year. This contrasts with a total of $127 billion approved in the previous three years.The five largest spending countries in 2025 are the United States, China, Russia, Germany and India, which together account for 58% of world military spending, totaling US$1,686 billion.Global military spending will reach US$2.887 billion in 2025, increasing for 11 consecutive years.
