Fact-check: “The U.S. defense budget is larger than the next 10 countries combined”
Verdict: Misleading (72% confidence)
The accuracy of this claim depends heavily on which year's data you use and which countries you count. As recently as 2023, the National Priorities Project documented that U.S. spending exceeded the next ten countries combined. But the most current data (2025-2026) from the Peterson Foundation and multiple other sources shows the U.S. now exceeds only the next 6 countries combined, because other nations — especially in Europe — sharply increased their defense spending. The 'next 10 countries' v…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
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