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Defence spending

−1 from 2025

In 2026, 50% said Australia should increase defence spending.

Question Defence spending

Now thinking about Australia’s defence capabilities. Australia currently spends about 2% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on defence. Taking into account global circumstances, do you think Australia should:

Increase defence spending 50Keep defence spending about the same 42Decrease defence spending 6Don’t know / refused 2

This question was fielded in a separate Lowy Institute nationwide poll between 31 March and 13 April 2025: see 2025 Methodology for more information.

  • Increase defence spending
  • Keep defence spending about the same
  • Decrease defence spending
  • Don’t know / refused
Total
All groups

2026 observation

According to the Department of Defence’s Portfolio Budget Statements for 2026–27, Australia’s planned expenditure in the Defence portfolio will exceed $60 billion, or around 2% of Australia’s GDP based on the conventional method for calculating defence expenditure. Using the method in the 2026 National Defence Strategy, which is also used by members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), defence expenditure sits closer to 2.8% of GDP.

When asked about Australia’s defence spending, one in two Australians (50%) say they would support an ‘increase’ in spending, while a significant minority (42%) say they would support defence spending remaining ‘about the same’ as it is today. Only 6% of Australians say defence spending should ‘decrease’. These results broadly align with last year’s Poll, where 51% of Australians said they would support an ‘increase’ in defence spending, and 37% said it should remain ‘about the same’.