At $92B, India is world's 5th-largest military spender

At $92B, India is world's 5th-largest military spender

India has emerged as the fifth-largest military spender in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The SIPRI Yearbook 2026 revealed that India's defense expenditure reached $92.1 billion in 2025, an increase of 8.9% from the previous year.

This puts India behind only the United States, China, Russia, and Germany in terms of defense spending.

Record defense budget announced in Union Budget

The report comes after India announced a record defense budget of around $85 billion in its Union Budget.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called the hike "unprecedented," adding it was essential to equip the armed forces with fighter jets, drones, submarines, and warships.

The rising defense expenditure shows India's commitment to modernizing its military capabilities while addressing regional and global security challenges.

Second-largest arms importer in the world

SIPRI also reported that India was the world's second-largest arms importer from 2021-25, accounting for 8.2% of global arms imports.

In comparison, Pakistan ranked fifth with a 4.2% share.

The figures show India's reliance on foreign military hardware despite efforts to boost indigenous production under its self-reliance initiative.

Cyber warfare integrated into military conflict

The report also highlighted that military competition in South Asia is increasingly driven by advanced technologies such as long-range missiles and cyber capabilities.

The India-Pakistan confrontation in May 2025 was described as an "unusually severe military crisis" by SIPRI.

This incident marked the first time cyber operations were integrated into active military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Rise in defense exports

Despite being a major arms importer, India is also emerging as a key defense exporter.

The government announced that defense exports hit a record high of over $4 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year. This was a more than 60% increase from the previous year.

India now exports defense equipment to over 100 countries including the United States and France.