PolitiFact, July 2024
During an address on the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Alliance, President Joe Biden said that NATO allies have increased their defense spending.
“In the year 2020 … the year I was elected president, only nine NATO allies were spending 2% of their defense — GDP on defense,” Biden said. “This year, 23 will spend at least 2%. And some will spend more than that.”
A White House spokesperson cited NATO’s most recent data, which supports Biden’s claim. In 2024, 23 of 32 NATO members will spend at least 2% of their annual gross domestic product to build up their defenses, June 2024 NATO data shows. That same report said nine allies met the defense spending goal in 2020.
