Sweden To Record Increase In Defense Spending

• 16.09.2025, 7:51

For the first time since the Cold War.

Sweden plans to increase defense spending Sweden will increase defense spending by 2.4 billion euros, the largest increase since the Cold War.

The announcement was made by the country's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, according to Euractiv.

The prime minister said the drafted bill envisages an 18 percent increase in Sweden's defense spending, up from 13 billion euros this year.

"This is unprecedented, unless you count the worst days of the Cold War," Kristersson said at a press conference.

The proposal includes an additional 430.9 million euros for the purchase of the following materiel and facilities:

air defense systems;

reactive artillery;

munitions;

munitions;

war vehicles;

new warships;

tactical transport aircraft.

The increased spending is based on a unanimous agreement by parliamentary parties, reached in June, to borrow 27.5 billion euros (300 billion Swedish kronor) to boost conscript training, air defense and long-range combat capabilities.

"We have to be ready, we have to have good capabilities to counter this," Energy Minister Ebba Bush said, commenting on drone activity over Poland and Romania.

With these new investments, Sweden aims to move closer to NATO's renewed goal of spending 3.5 percent of GDP on defense by 2035.

The government in Stockholm predicts defense spending will reach 2.8% of GDP in 2026 and 3.1% in 2028, compared to the Alliance's estimate of 2.14% of GDP for 2024.

The coalition government is due to submit its budget bill on September 22.