According to a report based on data from NATO and the Bank of Finland, Norway spent the most on defense per capita among NATO's 32 member states, at €2,768, followed by the United States (€2,177) and Denmark (€2,138).

Yle noted that this is the first time another NATO member has surpassed the United States in defense spending per capita.

Other countries that spent more than €1,000 per resident on defense were Luxembourg (€1,480), the Netherlands (€1,368), Sweden (€1,294), Finland (€1,266) and Germany (€1,063).

The NATO average was €1,212 per capita.

Among NATO's larger members, the United Kingdom spent €969 per resident on defense, Canada €889, France €795, Italy €675, Spain €584 and Turkey €224.

While defense spending is typically measured as a share of GDP, a per capita comparison places relatively wealthy countries with smaller populations, such as the Nordic countries, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, at the top of the rankings, Yle noted.

Lithuania spent €862 per resident on defense last year, while Latvia spent €668.

Albania recorded the lowest per capita defense spending, at €133. Iceland is not included in the statistics because it does not have its own armed forces.

Yle noted that the figures are preliminary NATO defense spending data for 2025, calculated in constant 2021 prices.

NATO members have committed to increasing direct defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2035, while allocating an additional 1.5 percent of GDP to defense-related investment.

Alliance members have significantly increased their defense spending in recent years and the issue is expected to feature prominently at the NATO summit taking place in Ankara later this week.

Read more about NATO spending here.

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