NATO Military Budget Tops $1.38 Trillion, Outspending Russia by Over 10 Times

Key Points

NATO and Russia have found themselves opposed for decades in one of the most consequential standoffs in military history
Russia is home to one of the largest nuclear arsenals and a massive stockpile conventional firepower
NATO is considered the strongest military alliance on Earth with over 30 countries contributing to its vast air force and navy
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By Chris Lange Published Jul 14, 2025 at 9:16 AM EDT

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NATO Military Budget Tops $1.38 Trillion, Outspending Russia by Over 10 Times — © ninjaMonkeyStudio / E+ via Getty Images

NATO and Russia have found themselves opposed for decades in one of the most consequential standoffs in military history. While Russia is home to one of the largest nuclear arsenals and a massive stockpile of conventional firepower, NATO’s strength lies in its collective defense. Headed up by the United States, NATO is considered the strongest military alliance on Earth with over 30 countries contributing to its vast air force and navy. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is exploring how Russia measures up to the whole of the NATO Alliance.

To compare the entirety of NATO and Russia, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included multiple factors in the comparison across different fields ranging from economics, land power, air power, and naval power, as well as a few others to give a full picture to how these countries measure up.

Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at how these countries match up across multiple sectors ranging from military prowess to economic strength.

Here is a look at how the NATO Alliance and Russia compare on these fronts:

Why Are We Covering This?

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In this rapidly evolving world, the comparison of military power between countries serves as a measure of global stability. This analysis is important not just for understanding each nation’s defense capabilities but also should an offensive conflict arise. While superpowers like the United States, China, and Russia dominate headlines with their military resources, other nations also play important roles in regional security dynamics and geopolitical relations. This analysis seeks to understand these countries from a base level of assets, resources, manpower, and economics.