Shorouk Express
The world in 2025 feels more unstable than it has for many years.
Not only is there the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as war in the Middle East and a series of civil wars and coup d’etats in Africa, but the return of Donald Trump to the White House has brought into question the very alliances and organisations that previously underpinned global security.
Whether it be excluding Ukraine from peace negotiations or threatening to withdraw from Nato and leave Europe to fend for itself, Trump’s erratic foreign policy has left a lot of countries considering their security future and asking whether they can defend themselves.
So, where does Spain fit into this?
Well, it’s fair to say that Spain is not known as a military superpower. In percentage terms it remains one of the lowest contributors to Nato, something that has caused disquiet not only in Washington but in Brussels too.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recently announced the ‘Rearm Europe’ plan and demanded that Spain spend up to €25 billion more each year on military investment over the next four years.
But as The Local investigated recently, it’s not such a simple picture in terms of spending. When it comes to total Nato budget, Spain is actually among the top 10 contributors, coming in at number seven, contributing 5.8 percent of the total budget, just behind Canada.
According to this index, Spain contributes 3.03 percent to Nato, measured in ‘economic burden’ rather than a straight percentage contribution of GDP.
READ ALSO: Is Spain’s Nato defence spend really as low as Trump claims?
With the geopolitics arguably as uncertain as it has been in the post-war period, calls for greater defence spending, and war in Europe for the first time in decades, many Spaniards (and foreigners who call Spain home) might be wondering what their country’s military capabilities are for the first time in their lives.
But how strong is Spain’s military exactly? How big is it, and how does it stack up against other nations?
READ ALSO: Why is Spain not in the G20 (but is always invited)?
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Overall rankings
According to rankings from Global Firepower, a website that ranks military power along different criteria including defence budget, manpower, land, naval and air capabilities, Spain is a Top 20 global military power.
For 2025, Spain ranked 17 of 145 out of the countries analysed.
Manpower
According to Global Firepower’s data, Spain has a little over 226,000 total military personnel. Of that figure, 133,000 are active soldiers, which is around 0.3 percent of Spain’s total population and ranks 38th in the world.
Spain also maintains around 15,000 reserve soldiers, 68th best in the world, and a significant number of paramilitary forces – around 78,000, 18th best in the world.
However, figures from Spain’s Military Life Observatory put that figure a little lower, at around 130,000, which it says represents a drop of 10 percent in 13 years. This is despite many other countries recruiting more soldiers and boosting defence spending in recent years.
READ ALSO: Why Spain is still in the wrong time zone because of Hitler
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Aircraft
The Spanish military has 461 total aircraft, which is ranked 24th in the world.
Of that 503, 137 are fighter craft (17th in the world), 153 are helicopters (28th in the world) and 8 are considered ‘special mission’ aircraft (26th in the world).
Naval
The Spanish military boasts 152 pieces of naval equipment in total, which ranks 21st best in the world. Interestingly, Spain has no destroyer (the smaller, more mobile ships that travel and defend convoys) but does have an aircraft carrier, something only seven other countries in the world have: Russia, India, France, China, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Spain has just 2 naval submarines, compared to the US (70), Russia (63) and China (61).
Land
Spain has 317 total tanks in stock (42nd in the world) and a significant number of armoured vehicles, including 95 self-propelled artillery vehicles and 287 towed artillery.
Spending
If we consider Spain’s defence budget spending (22st overall) compared to its overall global rank (17th) then the Spanish military is relatively good value for money.
According to the Global Firepower figures, Spain spends $23 billion a year on its military.
Unsurprisingly, these total spend rankings are dominated by the usual suspects. The United States spends a staggering $895 billion on defence, more than three times China in second place, with $266 billion, while 3rd place Russia spends around $126 billion a year.
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Spanish power?
In this sense, though Spain can’t realistically be considered one of the world’s top military superpowers in terms of manpower and weaponry, it is unquestionably a strong military country that spends its budget well.
Though Spain will likely never be able to compete with the world’s real military superpowers, its role and strategic partnerships on the global stage mean that it punches above its weight and is surrounded by bigger, stronger allies.
It is a NATO member, permanent guest of the G20, and hosts crucial American military bases in Spain. It remains to be seen how Madrid’s relationship with Washington will go in the coming years. Despite Trump’s calls for Europe to defend itself, it seems unlikely that the bases would be affected.
READ ALSO: Where are the US’s military bases in Spain and why are they there?
However, with the uncertainty a second Trump presidency brings to the global order, nothing is certain and Spain, like its European neighbours and countries around the world, will have to increase defence spending and begin rearming amid such uncertain times.
Noises from the government, along with recent media reports, suggest that Spain has taken heed of the turbulent 2020s and has made plans to incorporate both more F-110 frigates and S-80 submarines in its fleet in the coming years, as well as pledging to increase defence spending overall.
