SIPRI Report 2025: USA Topped; India Becomes 5th-Largest Military Spender

Current Context: The SIPRI Report 2025 (Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2025) was released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on April 27, 2026.

• It revealed that global military spending reached a record high of $2.88 trillion.
• India ranked 5th among the world’s top military spenders with $92.1 billion, showing a 9% rise over the previous year.
• The increase was driven by emergency procurements and modernization programs following regional tensions in mid‑2025.
• The United States remained the largest spender at $954 billion, followed by China, Russia, and Germany.
• The report emphasized that Asia’s rising defense budgets, especially India’s, are reshaping the global military balance.
• It also linked the worldwide surge in defense expenditure to geopolitical instability, technological competition, and strategic realignments.

Question:

Q.1 India’s rank among global military spenders in the SIPRI Report 2025 is:
a) 3rd
b) 5th
c) 9th
d) 6th

Answer: b) India ranked 5th among the world’s top military spenders with $92.1 billion, showing a 9% rise over the previous year.