logo
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Do many NATO countries meet their pledge to spend 2% of their GDP on defense?

By Tom Kertscher
View this fact brief on Wisconsin Watch
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

Seven of NATO’s 30 member countries spent at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense in 2022, according to the NATO secretary general’s 2022 annual report.

(The North Atlantic Treaty Organization added Finland in 2023.)

The seven were Greece (3.54%), the U.S. (3.46%), Lithuania (2.47%), Poland (2.42%), United Kingdom (2.16%), Estonia (2.12%) and Latvia (2.07%).

France, Italy, Germany and Canada were among nations not meeting the pledge, agreed to by NATO defense ministers in 2006.

On July 7, 2023, 35 senators, including Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson, sent a letter to President Joe Biden emphasizing the need for NATO members to meet the 2% pledge.

Biden is scheduled to attend a NATO summit July 11-12.

The U.S., Canada and several Western European nations created NATO in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

NATO estimated that total military spending by its members in 2022 was more than $1 trillion.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
NATO The Secretary General’s Annual Report 2022
Ron Johnson Senator from Wisconsin Senators' letter to President Biden
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs from Wisconsin Watch
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.