For the eleventh consecutive year, global military spending has grown. In 2025 the figure reached 2,887 billion dollars, a real increase of 2.9 percent over 2024: this is the growth and the highest level ever recorded by Sipri, which updated the state of the global arms market. Italian spending is also growing, with a +20 percent compared to the previous year, combined with the parallel increase in exports, with over 9 billion euros in armaments leaving Italy.
352 dollars per head spent on weapons: record-breaking Europe
Global per capita spending on weapons is listed at $352. The most updated data from Sipri (Stockholm international peace research institute) measure overall military spending, not just weapons purchases, and the concentration remains very high: the top five countries – United States, China, Russia, Germany and India – absorb 58% of global spending. The United States remains first with 954 billion dollars, but down 7.5 percent due to the lack of assistance to Ukraine, while China rises to 336 billion, and Russia to 190.
The growth push is coming from Europe. The push comes above all from Europe, where military spending rose by 14% to 864 billion dollars: it is the highest level ever recorded, which Sipri explains as a combination of factors between the war in Ukraine and NATO rearmament. The allies’ latest commitment is to invest 5 percent of annual GDP by 2035, made up of at least 3.5 percent for “pure” defense and up to 1.5 percent for security-related expenses.
Italy’s expenses
According to Sipri, Italy is the 12th country in the world for military spending in 2025. The estimated value is 48.1 billion dollars, a real increase of 20 percent compared to 2024, which rises to 57 percent if 2016 is taken as a reference. Our country is among the first in Europe for the percentage increase in spending, in addition to Spain, Poland and Ukraine.
Sipri estimates 1.9% of GDP for Italy in 2025, a figure different from that of NATO, which attributes a share of 2.01% to Italy. This is explained because the NATO numbers include other sources, such as pensions of military and civilian personnel, other expenditure on other militarily employable forces (such as the Carabinieri) and research and development.
Who Italy sold weapons to in 2025
In the Sipri database that The Vermilion consulted we traced the “major” transfers of conventional weapons from Italy to abroad. Within exports there are old contracts delivered in 2025, military aid, second-hand vehicles and licensed production.
The numerical data is given to us by the Senate research service, which in 2025 estimates the overall value of authorizations to export armaments at 9.164 billion euros, an increase of 19.14% on 2024. Sipri provides the detailed data, i.e. what we have exported and to which countries. By category, the data is dominated by naval platforms: frigates, auxiliary ships, patrol vessels and minisubmarines. This is followed by helicopters, fighter aircraft, transport/trainer aircraft, armored land vehicles, naval systems and radars.
On ships, the heaviest entry concerns two frigates indicated in the database as the “Brawijaya” class, originally ordered by Italy and then sold to Jakarta for a deal worth around 1.2 billion euros. However, Indonesia is not the only Asian outlet. India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan also appear in the dataset, with the sale of naval guns and radar systems.
The second major hub for Italian arms exports in 2025 is the Gulf. Kuwait receives four Eurofighter Typhoons, linked to the 2016 contract indicated by Sipri as part of a 7-8 billion euro deal, while Qatar received two “M-23 C” minisubmarines, three “M-346 Master” training and combat aircraft, three “NH-90 NFH” anti-submarine helicopters and fifteen “Marte-Er” anti-ship missiles. The United Arab Emirates received “Kronos” radar, “Orion Rtn-30X” shooting radar, “Dart” guided munitions and rapid cannons to be installed on the “Falaj-3” corvettes.
The export of Italian weapons to Ukraine and the NATO bloc
Among the most important customers of the Italian war industry are the NATO countries. For example, France received a supply ship “Vulcano”, to which is added a super-rapid 76-millimeter frigate cannon. Poland has purchased nine “AW-149” helicopters in an armed version, part of the 1.8 billion euro “Perkoz” program.
Greece instead received four “M-346 Master” fighter and training aircraft, as well as a super-rapid frigate gun. “MTV” vehicles and a naval gun went to the Netherlands for the modernization of the frigates. Austria, Bulgaria, Sweden and Albania complete the European picture: for Tirana the database indicates a second-hand “Cassiopea” patrol vessel, qualified as aid.
For Ukraine we find second-hand vehicles, aid or supplies financed by third parties: in 2025 “10 Centauro” were delivered, “2 “M-113”.
Weapons to Israel and the United States
Israel also appears in the Sipri dataset, with five “AW-119 Koala helicopters”, “AW119M” version, intended for training and indicated as coming from the US production line, but the order dates back to 2019. Regarding the United States, in 2025 alone, 35 units of Iveco “Acv” armored amphibious vehicles were delivered within a total order of 632 vehicles produced under license in the United States to modernize capabilities landing of the Marines.
Then there are the helicopters, with Leonardo exporting the AW-139 (MH-139A “Grey Wolf” version), with 9 units delivered in 2025, and the “AW-119 Koala” for training.
For this latest program, called “TH-XX”, 23 units were delivered in 2025, part of a $648 million contract that sees production localized in the US at Boeing factories.