Majority of NATO countries will reach the 2% of the GDP mark this year
A Dutch Marine watches over the beach in Norway during Nordic Response 24. (Photo: NATO)
The result, however, displeased US leadership as eight countries will miss the target in 2024.
Open data released by NATO this week shows that 24 of its 32 member states will invest 2% or more of their GDP in defence this year. This is the largest number of countries reaching the mark since it was established in 2014.
The overall NATO countries’ expenditure in 2024, US$1.5 trillion, is 12% higher than the 2023 figures ($1.3 trillion). It represents a nearly $200 billion growth in military spending.
Despite the progress made, the fact that eight states (Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) earmarked less than 2% of the GDP has disappointed US
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