The military expenses of Western and Central European countries amounted to 345 billion dollars last year. That was the first time it exceeded the figure since the end of the Cold War in 1989 and was 30% higher than in 2013.
After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, several European countries – Finland (+36%), Lithuania (+27%), Sweden (+12%), and Poland (+11%) – dramatically increased their military budgets. Other countries on the continent, notably Denmark, have announced plans to increase defense spending over the next decade gradually.