NATO invests in security: most countries have reached the 2% GDP benchmark.

Most NATO countries are now spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense.

'Ukraine has prompted many NATO countries to increase defense spending to 2% of their GDP - a long-agreed overall figure - for the first Time. There are a total of 31 members in NATO, and this year it is expected that 23 of them will reach the target of 2%; only three countries achieved this in 2014. For the first time since the early 1990s, the Alliance was able to spend a whole 2% of its GDP on defense,' journalists from The Telegraph say, as reported by ZN.UA.

Eight member states of the Alliance that have not reached this benchmark - including Italy, Spain, and Canada - are at least spending more this year.

It is noted that Washington is spending 3.38% on defense this year - less than last year.

'But America, which spent $916 billion on defense in 2023 - more than any other country on earth - is the foundation on which NATO stands,' The Telegraph reports.

It is worth noting that in previous years only a few NATO countries reached the defense spending figure of 2% of GDP. Interestingly, Sweden plans to increase its defense spending to 2.4% of GDP by 2025. Meanwhile, the United States remains the largest contributor to the Alliance's joint defense budget. Notably, global military spending continues to rise for the ninth consecutive year. Meanwhile, Ukraine is expected to spend about a quarter of its GDP on defense in 2025, which is ten times the NATO standard.