Fact-check: “The US spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined”
Verdict: Misleading (85% confidence)
The most accurate version of this claim — supported by SIPRI's own published language, SIPRI's 2024 Yearbook, and the U.S. government's own 2026 Economic Report of the President — is that the US spends more than the next *9* countries combined, not 10. Using SIPRI's 2024 data (published April 2025), the US spent $997 billion, while ranks 2–10 combined came to roughly $984 billion (less than the US), but adding the 11th country (South Korea, $47.6 billion) pushes the 'next 10' total to about $1,…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
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