Fact-check: “The U.S. defense budget is larger than the next 10 countries combined”
Verdict: Misleading (85% confidence)
The claim was accurate for certain years (2023 and earlier) but is not accurate for the most recent data. SIPRI's 2025 figures show the U.S. at $954 billion while the next 10 countries combined total roughly $1,167 billion — meaning the U.S. is actually smaller than the next 10. The most defensible current comparison, supported by SIPRI's 2024 data and the Peterson Foundation's 2025 analysis, is that the U.S. exceeds the next 6 to 9 countries combined, depending on the year and methodology. The…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
Related fact-checks
- Donald Trump Jr accepted a gift from a Russian oligearch — True
- European Union plans 200 million Euro investment in Greenland as a response to Trump's posturing — Mostly True
- Approximately 45% of the current Canadian population is made up of immigrants and the children of immigrants — Mostly True
- Recent job numbers increased faster than had been expected and are ahead of most analysts expectations — Partly True
- Medicare for all would cost trillions a year that Americans would pay through higher income taxes — Partly True