For the first time in 20 years, the Czech Republic has joined NATO-target of spending at least two percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense. According to the Czech Ministry of Defense, around 6.6 billion euros were spent on the armed forces in 2024, which corresponds to 2.09% of GDP.
In its government program, the Czech government had committed to achieving the NATO minimum target in 2025 and has now achieved its goal a year earlier than planned.
Brzy oslavíme již 26 let od vstupu České republiky do @NATO. Prakticky jen dva ministři obrany v prvních letech členství dokázali zajistit prostředky pro naši obranu ve výši aliančního závazku 2 % HDP. Je to smutné, ale skutečnost, že se nám to po 20 letech podařilo znovu,…
– Jana Černochová (@jana_cernochova) January 6, 2025
In a statement, Defense Minister Jana Černochová emphasized the statutory requirements: “With the law on defense financing adopted in 2023, we have set a minimum level of defense spending of two percent of GDP. This finally gives defense the necessary priority.”
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Including the Czech Republic, 24 of the 32 NATO member states have already reached the two percent spending target – a significant increase compared to just six members in 2021. However, if future US President Donald Trump has his way, spending is set to increase further in the coming years – he is even proposing defense spending of five percent of GDP.
