Breaking Down the West’s $146 Billion 2024 Defence Technology Investment

What We're Showing

Advanced technologies like drones, sensors, and AI are driving governments to modernize their militaries and boost technology spending. How much does the West spend?

In this final graphic of the Defence Innovation series, Visual Capitalist and Global X ETFs explore U.S. and EU defence tech budgets.

Key Takeaways

• While mission support programs remained the highest expenditures, space-based systems and aviation both received huge sums of investment: $18 billion and $19 billion, respectively.
• The advancement of defence technology and the many conflicts worldwide have led to defence spending rising to $2.5 trillion in 2025.
• The Global X Defence Tech UCITS ETF (ARMR) exposes investors to companies that benefit from adopting or manufacturing defence technologies.