NATO by the numbers ahead of Ankara summit
NATO leaders will gather in Ankara on July 7-8 for the alliance's 36th summit, where they are expected to review defense spending commitments, support for Ukraine and the bloc's long-term strategic direction.
The 32-member alliance fields more than 3.3 million active military personnel and spends over $1.6 trillion annually on defense, accounting for about 55% of global military expenditure, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Together, NATO members represent a combined GDP of more than $58 trillion and a population approaching one billion.
Alliance expanded from 12 to 32 members
Founded in Washington on April 4, 1949, by 12 countries, NATO has expanded through 10 rounds of enlargement to include 32 members.
The most recent additions were Finland in 2023 and Sweden in 2024, both joining after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland's accession added about 1,340 kilometers (832 miles) to NATO's direct border with Russia.
Military advantage over Russia
Collectively, NATO significantly outmatches Russia in military capabilities.
The alliance has around 3.3 million active personnel compared with Russia's roughly 1.32 million, as well as about 20,375 military aircraft, more than 2,800 warships and nearly 12,300 main battle tanks.
The United States remains NATO's largest military contributor with about 1.3 million active troops, while Türkiye has the largest armed forces among European allies with around 370,000 personnel.
Defense spending reaches new milestone
For the first time since NATO adopted its 2% of GDP defense spending guideline in 2014, all 32 allies are expected to meet or exceed the target in 2025.
European allies and Canada are projected to spend $657 billion on defense this year, while US spending is expected to reach $980 billion.
At last year's summit in The Hague, leaders also agreed on a new goal of spending 5% of GDP on defense and related security investments by 2035.
Summit amid political tensions
The Ankara summit will be only the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye after Istanbul in 2004.
Leaders are expected to focus on military assistance to Ukraine, implementation of new defense spending targets and the alliance's future, while navigating growing political tensions following US President Donald Trump's criticism of several NATO allies over burden sharing and security commitments.
Source:AA
