Ireland remains bottom of EU table for defence spending, new report shows
The LÉ George Bernard Shaw docked at the Irish Naval Base in Haulbowline. Ireland’s defence spend will be eight times less than the EU average this year. Picture: Noel Sweeney
Ireland's defence expenditure remains at the bottom of the European Union table, according to new figures.
The European Defence Agency's (EDA) Defence Data 2025-2026 report shows that, while 23 of the EU's 27 member states have met or exceeded defence spending equivalent to 2% of GDP, Ireland continues to spend just 0.2% of GDP.
Because of the distorting effect of multinational profits on Ireland's economy, GDP is not considered the most accurate measure of national output, with GNI or GNP more commonly used. Even on that basis, Ireland's defence spending amounts to just 0.3% of GNI/GNP.
The EDA report comes as Ireland hosts the EU Presidency and a series of defence and foreign affairs meetings involving EU ministers and European Commission officials.
Ireland's presidency programme commits to developing the EU's "critical defence capabilities" through a stronger European defence industry.
The report shows that 10 additional member states reached the 2% threshold last year, bringing the total to 23.
It notes that the remaining four member states below that level are not members of Nato, which previously set the 2% spending target.
They are the militarily neutral states of Ireland, Austria and Malta, as well as non-aligned Cyprus.
EDA figures for 2025, together with estimates for 2026, show:
- : 0.2% of GDP in 2025, rising to around 0.25% in 2026;
- : 0.5% in 2025, falling to 0.4% in 2026;
- : 1% in 2025, increasing to 1.1% in 2026;
- : 1.5% in 2025, rising to 2.5% in 2026.
The EDA said the EU average now stands at 2.2% of GDP, with total estimated defence spending of €418 billion in 2025. That is projected to rise to €454 billion in 2026, equivalent to 2.4% of GDP.
Based on those figures, Ireland's defence spending is around eight times lower than the EU average. The highest levels of defence spending are recorded by countries bordering Russia, including Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Latvia.
The EDA report coincides with the publication of the Department of Defence's Strategy Statement 2026-2029, which reiterates that Ireland is making record investments in defence, with an allocation of €1.49 billion in 2026, 35% higher than in 2022.
Lieutenant Colonel Conor King, general secretary of RACO, the representative body for commissioned officers, said: "In 2022, government approved a move to 'Level of Ambition 2' (LOA2), which would result in the Defence budget rising from €1.1bn to €1.5bn, in 2022 prices, by 2028.
"While heralded as the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State, it was coming from a frighteningly low base, after decades of underinvestment by successive governments."
He said LOA2 requires an additional 2,000 civilian and military personnel on top of the current establishment of 9,500.
"The DF is currently at a strength of approximately 7,800, up from an abysmal low in 2024 of 7,400; but still light years away from the 11,500 identified as essential by the Commission on the Defence Forces.
"Indeed, it has been confirmed that a best case scenario for attaining 11,500 is 2035 (rather than the targeted 2028), and LOA 1 won’t even be reached until 2031."
He added: "There has been a widely reported failure by government to secure the adequate funding for current and capital projects necessary to reverse decades of underinvestment.
"The repeated delays and extensions in implementation plans belie a lack of urgency, or an absence of government support. No amount of strategy statements will achieve the necessary transformation if the political will to fund the transformation is lacking."
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