EDA Defence Data 2023-2024

DEFENCE DATA 2023-2024 More information on the European Defence Agency is available at www.eda.europa.eu ISBN: 978-92-95238-00-8 ISSN: 2363-4359 doi: 10.2836/0704767 © European Defence Agency, 2024 For reproduction or use of this material, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder. Responsible editor: EDA Printed in Belgium 2 Main Findings 2023 witnessed a sharp increase in total defence expenditure, with a total amount of €279 billion being spent by European Union Member States (MS), which corresponds to 1.6% of MS Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The development and procurement of new weapons systems was the primary factor driving the increase in defence budgets, as MS have been making efforts to bolster their armed forces’ fighting capabilities in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. As a result, defence investments reached a recordbreaking €72 billion, accounting for 26% of total defence expenditure, the largest share recorded by the European Defence Agency (EDA) since data collection began in 2005. As in previous years, more than 80% of defence investments, some €61 billion, were allocated to the procurement of equipment. MS frequently resorted to Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products ordered from non-European manufacturers to quickly fill capability gaps, weakening the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). The urge to swiftly address capability shortfalls through COTS products may have caused a...