On October 9, 2024, a TV debate aired on the German news channel “Welt” featuring Alice Weidel and Sahra Wagenknecht. During the debate, Ms. Wagenknecht claimed that Germany’s defense expenditures had risen from 34 billion euros in 2014 to 90 billion euros in 2024. This statement is true.
The two politicians represent two highly controversial parties. Alice Weidel is the chairwoman of the right-wing populist party AfD (Alternative für Deutschland), while Sahra Wagenknecht leads her newly founded party BSW, (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht – Vernunft und Gerechtigkeit) established in 2023. Regarding German military spending, Sahra Wagenknecht stated at minute 37:45 of the TV debate: “We started ten years ago with 34 billion. We are now at 90 billion a year for the military.”
The BSW, which advocates for disarmament, uses these figures to highlight military rearmament. However, has Germany’s defense spending really risen this sharply in the past ten years? Ms. Wagenknecht did not provide a source during the debate, but it is reasonable to assume that she referred to figures from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). According to NATO, Germany’s defense expenditures increased from approximately 35 billion euros in 2014 to around 90.6 billion euros in 2024.

However, according to Bundestag.de, Germany allocated approximately 72 billion euros for defense in 2024. This included about 52 billion euros from the regular defense budget and another 20 billion euros from a special fund for military procurement. Additionally, around 7.1 billion euros were allocated through the federal government’s Capacity Building Initiative, mainly to support Ukraine. (This capability enhancement initiative, however, is not financed through the Bundeswehr budget). Publicly verifiable spending thus amounts to approximately 79.1 billion euros in 2024. This leaves an unexplained gap of roughly 11.5 billion euros between NATO’s official figure of 90.6 billion euros and Germany’s publicly traceable defense spending.
The head of the German Economic Institute, Prof. Dr. Hubertus Bardt, emphasized in interview with EUfactcheck.eu that Germany does not provide transparency regarding how the approximately 11.5 billion euros are specifically spent. By reporting 90.6 billion euros to NATO in 2024, Germany achieved the two-percent target for the first time. This target requires NATO member states to spend at least two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense. At the 2014 Wales Summit, NATO members agreed to move closer to the two-percent goal within a decade. Since 2023, the two-percent target has been established as a mandatory minimum.
With 2.1 percent, Germany met the two-percent target in 2024, according to the federal government. Prof. Dr. Hubertus Bardt also notes that creative accounting may have played a role in reaching this goal. He remarks, “As far as I could find out, NATO does not have a fixed framework for what exactly needs to be reported.” This suspicion is supported by a Tagesschau report, which references a document from the Federal Ministry of Finance. The document reportedly shows that Germany included expenditures from other ministries, in addition to those of the Ministry of Defense, in its NATO reporting.
Hubertus Bardt also points out that the increase from 35 to 90 billion euros sounds drastic but must be viewed in the context of Germany’s significantly rising GDP. According to the Federal Statistical Office, Germany’s GDP increased from 2.9 trillion euros in 2014 to 4.1 trillion euros in 2023, directly influencing NATO’s two-percent target.
Conclusion
If Ms. Wagenknecht’s claim refers to defense expenditures reported to NATO, her statement is factually correct. However, it should be noted that the 90.6 billion euros reported likely include expenditures beyond traditional defense spending. This nuance is crucial when evaluating her claim.
RESEARCH | ARTICLE | Elias Bock, Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart, Germany
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