NATO formalizes 5% of GDP for defense: a single country of the alliance is almost, most are far away

NATO countries have promised to invest 5% of their GDP in favor of defense and security in 2035, in the final statement of the Atlantic Alliance Summit in The Hague on Wednesday.

In detail, the allies want to assign “at least 3.5 % of GDP annually” for military spending, and additional 1.5 % for safety in the broadest sense, such as “protection of critical infrastructure” and the defense of “networks.”

In addition, NATO members reaffirmed their “unwavering commitment” to defend each other in case of an attack on Wednesday in the final statement of the Hague Summit.

“An attack on one is an attack against all,” insists on the countries of the Atlantic Alliance, emphasizing its attachment to article 5 of the NATO Treaty on collective defense. Donald Trump had baffled his allies on Tuesday evoking “several forms” to define this article 5.

This issue was a long -standing source of long -standing irritation between Washington and its allies. Donald Trump demanded from his first term in 2018 that his allies double their goals to go from 2 to 4%. The war in Ukraine and the Russian threat at the EU doors convinced the accelerated Europeans on this path.

Poland is at the head of NATO

The allies “very soon” will spend as much as the United States, was delighted from the White House tenant. “I asked them to go 5% for years, and go to 5%. It is huge (…). NATO will become very strong with us,” said the US president.

However, the way to go is very long. To date, no country in the Alliance has reached 5%. Not even the United States. According to NATO data by 2024, Poland is closer (4.1%) ahead of Estonia (3.4%) and the United States (3.4%). France is the 19 of the 34 countries in the alliance with 2.1%. The last is Spain, which with 1.3% according to GDP dedicated to defense was the fiercest opposes this 5% goal.

Some countries around the world, on the other hand, dedicate 5% or more for their defense. But there are few of them. If we take the most recent data of the World Bank by 2023, just ten states are with the objective of NATO by 2035.