Fact-check: “The US spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined”
Verdict: Misleading (75% confidence)
The US is unquestionably the world's largest military spender by a wide margin, but the most recent SIPRI data (2025) puts the comparison closer to the next 6 or 7 countries combined, not the next 10. The Peterson Foundation, citing SIPRI, reports the US spent $954 billion in 2025 compared to $905 billion for the next six countries combined. A separate SIPRI-based analysis found it takes the next 7 countries combined ($940.2 billion) to surpass the US figure of $929.2 billion. The 'next 10' fra…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
Related fact-checks
- The US national debt has doubled in the last 10 years — Mostly True
- Violent crime in the United States is at an all-time high — False
- Undocumented immigrants commit more crimes than native-born citizens — False
- The United States has the highest healthcare costs in the world — Mostly True