How Much Has NATO Cost the US Over the Past 75 Years?

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Since its inception on April 4, 1949, NATO has stood as a bulwark of collective security against the specter of aggression, with the U.S. playing an important role in its financial and strategic underpinnings. Over the past 75 years, the U.S. contributed $21.9 trillion to NATO's defense budget, significantly more than its 31 peers. Last year, the U.S. contributed 68 percent of NATO's total budget, which worked out to be 3.49 percent of America's total GDP for $860 billion of the $1.26 trillion NATO spent. Canada contributed 1.38 percent of its GDP at $28.95 billion (2.29 percent of total contributions), while the collective European allies accounted for $375.1 billion (29.68 percent) of the total budget. Poland allocated 3.9 percent of its GDP, surpassing the U.S. in percentage terms. Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, the U.K., and Slovakia also contributed more than the 2 percent guideline last year. The investments do not translate into direct payments to NATO, but encompass national defense spending, including domestic personnel costs, equipment purchases, and infrastructure investments. NATO's composition includes 31 member countries across North America and Europe, with Finland and Sweden being the newest members. They joined in 2023 and 2024, respectively, spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

https://www.newsweek.com/how-much-has-nato-cost-us-over-past-75-years-1886632