Türkiye’s 2026 budget sets aside 2.15 trillion lira for defence and internal security, which is a 33.9% increase from 2025. This is because NATO countries are increasing their expenditure to reach a 5% GDP goal.
During the government’s budget talks, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said that Türkiye will spend a record 2 trillion 155 billion lira on military and security in 2026. 1.202 trillion lira of this is for national defence and 953 billion lira is for homeland security. This shows Türkiye’s growing commitment to strategic capabilities and resilience.
The total amount set aside in the 2025 central government budget was 1.608 trillion lira, with 913.9 billion going to defence and 694.5 billion going to security. The new number is a 33.9% rise from the previous year, which shows that Türkiye is still focused on deterrence, modernising its defences, and keeping the country stable.
The rise comes as NATO member states move to dramatically increase their defence budgets. Following intense discussions led by US President Donald Trump, allied leaders agreed at the The Hague Summit to raise defence spending to 5% of national GDP by 2035.
In their joint communiqué, NATO members reaffirmed their unity against “deep security threats,” citing Russia’s long-term challenge and global terrorism as primary concerns. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte declared, “If our security is under threat, no one should doubt our capacity or resolve. This is a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance that our leaders are building.”