Fact-check: “The U.S. defense budget is larger than the next 10 countries combined”
Verdict: False (88% confidence)
The most current authoritative data — SIPRI's 2025 military expenditure report (published April 2026) — shows the U.S. spent $954 billion while the next 10 countries combined spent roughly $1,167 billion, meaning the claim is off by about $213 billion. The claim was closer to accurate in earlier years (the accurate formulation as of recent data is 'next 6 countries,' per the Peterson Public Policy Foundation), but as of the most current comparative data it is directly contradicted.
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
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